Perceptions Of Competence Research Articles

Hate Speech on the Map of Stereotype Content

Abstract: Although hate speech is one of the crucial challenges of contemporary societies, it is still not obvious which groups will most often become its target. In this article, we apply the stereotype content model to answer this question. In a large cross-national survey ( N = 3,135) in Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom, we found that while the use of hate speech was associated with perceptions of warmth and competence, the effects were credibly stronger in the case of the latter dimension. The effect of competence (and to a smaller extent of warmth) was mediated by feelings of contempt toward the outgroups. Altogether, these findings suggest that hate-speech users often target their attacks at groups that are perceived to be inferior and disrespected, and thus – potentially – more dehumanized and less empathized with.

Rehumanizing Academic Belonging: Shifting Student Perceptions From a Belonging‐Performance Dependence to a Belonging‐Competence Mindset

ABSTRACTDrawing from Scholarship of Teaching and Learning alongside belongingness research, this manuscript examines why students perceive the dependence of academic belonging on performance, especially early in an academic program. It then offers suggestions for crafting learning environments that (a) grow student capacities to (re‐)envision perceptions of competence and (b) broaden student perceptions of sources that support their academic belonging. Suggestions provide possibilities for shifting students’ belonging‐performance dependence to a belonging‐competence mindset, thereby rehumanizing learning for students and facilitating welcoming, equitable, and learning‐centered (vs. performance‐centered) environments.

Android avatar improves educational effects by embodied anthropomorphization.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, the adoption of distance learning has been accelerated in educational institutions in multiple countries. In addition to using a videoconferencing system with camera images, avatars can also be used for remote classes. In particular, an android avatar with a sense of presence has the potential to provide higher quality education than a video-recorded lecture. To investigate the specific educational effects of android avatars, we used a Geminoid. an android with the appearance of a specific individual, and conducted both laboratory experiment and large-scale field experiment. The first compared the android avatar lecture with a videoconferencing system. We found that the use of an android avatar for the lecture led to the significantly higher subjective feelings of being seen, feeling more motivated, and focused on the lecture compared to the video lecture. We further conducted a large-scale field experiment with an android avatar to clarify what contributes to such educational effects. The results suggest that the students' perception of android's anthroppomorphism and competence has a positive impact, and discomfort has a negative impact on the subjective experence of educational effect. These results indicate the role of embodied anthropomorphization in positive educational experience. The important point of this study is that both the laboratory experiment and the large-scale experiment were conducted to clarify the educational effects of androids. These results support several related studies and are clarified in detail. Based on these results, the potential for the future usage of androids in education is discussed.

Improving Liberal Arts Curriculum through Analyzing the Perceptions Gaps and Priority Setting in Core Competencies between Faculties and Students : A Case Study of G University

This study aimed to analyze the perception gaps in core competencies between faculty and students and derive improvements for the liberal arts curriculum from the perspective of developing new competencies required in the Fourth Industrial Revolution era. The study investigated faculty and student perceptions of sub-competencies under G University's six core competencies. The participants included 103 faculties and 213 students. An online survey was conducted from May to July 2023. The analysis was performed using Borich's needs assessment and The Locus for Focus model. The study analyzed differences in importance-performance perceptions of core competencies between faculties and students and identified competencies requiring priority improvement. The results showed that faculty emphasized fundamental and essential competencies such as empathy, creativity, and thinking skills, while students placed more importance on practical competencies like knowledge information utilization, self-directed learning, and foreign language skills. There were significant gaps between current and target levels in competencies that faculties’ considered important. Faculties showed high educational needs in the order of empathy> creativity>thinking skills>ethical awareness>knowledge information utilization>responsibility, while students' educational needs were high in the order of knowledge information utilization>creativity>self- direction>decision-making>community citizenship> foreign language utilization. This study is significant in that it empirically identified perception gaps between faculties and students regarding core competencies and provided practical evidence for efficient allocation of limited educational resources. Based on the findings, the study suggests practical measures including curriculum design considering faculty-student perception gaps, establishment of integrated competency assessment systems, improvement of practical teaching-learning methods, and institutional support for these improvements.

Perception of the key competencies of lifelong learning and employability of university students and graduates from Colombia and México

The implementation of strategies to strengthen key competencies for lifelong learning require considering the environment and perspectives of different actors. This research aims to describe the perception of university students and graduates regarding the eight key competencies for lifelong learning, from their impact on employability, mastery achieved and need for strengthening. The research is quantitative, exploratory, cross-sectional and non-experimental with a descriptive approach. The results showed that university students and graduates coincide in the competencies perceived as having the greatest need for strengthening: multilingual, the one with the greatest mastery: citizenship and with the greatest impact on employability: digital, which fulfills the hypotheses raised. In the results by country, Mexicans and Colombians coincide in the competencies of need for strengthening: multilingual and impact on employability: digital. They differ in domain: Colombians perceive citizenship and Mexicans additionally perceive social personnel and learning to learn and cultural awareness and expression.

Determining Preschool Teachers' Perception of Competence Regarding Literacy Preparation Activities

The study examined whether the perceptions of competence of preschool teachers working in kindergarten classes of primary schools and independent kindergartens under the Ministry of National Education in Adana province regarding literacy preparation activities varied according to the variables of teachers' age, gender, professional seniority, type of school worked in, and the age group of the children the teachers worked with. The sample of the study consisted of 332 preschool teachers working in independent kindergartens affiliated with the Ministry of National Education and kindergarten classes affiliated with primary schools located within the borders of Adana province's Center, Çukurova, Seyhan and Yüreğir districts in the fall semester of the 2020-2021 academic year. SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) 23.0 package program was used in the statistical analysis of the data. Categorical measurements were summarized as numbers and percentages, and continuous measurements were summarized as mean and standard deviation (median and minimum-maximum where necessary). The skewness and kurtosis values of the scale scores were examined in order to determine whether the parameters in the study showed a normal distribution. In the normally distributed parameters, independent student t-test was used in the two-group analysis, and Oneway ANOVA test was used in the analysis of more than two groups. In the case of variables with more than two groups, Tukey test was used as a Post Hoc test to determine the source of the difference between the groups. Pearson and Spearman’srho correlation tests were used to determine the relationship between the scales. The statistical significance level was taken as 0.05 in all tests. Suggestions were made based on the research findings and findings.

Can AI Level the Playing Field? How AI-Assisted Assessment Impacts Gender Bias in Student Evaluations of Marketing Instructors

Marketing instructors increasingly are using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve efficiency in course planning and assessment. However, scholarship has yet to show how such use impacts student evaluations, which are often skewed by gender bias. Toward this aim, we conducted a quasi-experiment in which college-student participants viewed student work along with instructor feedback under four experimental conditions. In one condition, participants were told the grade and feedback were written by the instructor and, in another, that the feedback was generated by an AI tool trained by the instructor. Instructor gender was also manipulated. Participants evaluated the assessment and the instructor using measures of agency and competence. We found that perceptions of agency and competence were higher for male instructors than for female instructors who did not use an AI tool. However, when instructors used AI, marked reductions in gender differences occurred. These findings suggest that AI complicates perceptions of agency and competence enough to potentially level the playing field for female instructors. However, perceptions of instructors were universally more negative when participants were told the assessment was created with AI, regardless of instructor gender. Therefore, attempts to use AI as an assessment tool should be made with caution.

Analyzing the Impact of Responding to Joint Attention on the User Perception of the Robot in Human-Robot Interaction.

The concept of joint attention holds significant importance in human interaction and is pivotal in establishing rapport, understanding, and effective communication. Within social robotics, enhancing user perception of the robot and promoting a sense of natural interaction with robots becomes a central element. In this sense, emulating human-centric qualities in social robots, such as joint attention, defined as the ability of two or more individuals to focus on a common event simultaneously, can increase their acceptability. This study analyses the impact on user perception of a responsive joint attention system integrated into a social robot within an interactive scenario. The experimental setup involves playing against the robot in the "Odds and Evens" game under two conditions: whether the joint attention system is active or inactive. Additionally, auditory and visual distractors are employed to simulate real-world distractions, aiming to test the system's ability to capture and follow user attention effectively. To assess the influence of the joint attention system, participants completed the Robotic Social Attributes Scale (RoSAS) after each interaction. The results showed a significant improvement in user perception of the robot's competence and warmth when the joint attention system was active.

PRE-SERVICE TEACHER’S TEACHING COMPETENCE DURING KAMPUS MENGAJAR PROGRAM

Kampus mengajar is one of flagships of Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka managed by indonesian ministry of education, culture, or higher education. The purpose of this study was to students’ perceptions of teaching competence about pre-service teachers during kampus mengajar program batch 6 by using quantitative descriptive design. A questionnaire with a Likert scale was used as a quantitative study to determine students' perceptions. Data collection was carried out by distributing questionnaire and observation to 62 students who took English class. The result of this study indicate that participants have a positive perception of Kampus Mengajar program to improve their competence as pre-service teachers. The perception of teaching competence was influenced by four aspects of pedagogic competence, personality competence, internet, communication, and technology competence, and Soft skill development. It reached 82% of pedagogic competence, 87% in personality competence, 99% in ICT, and 50% in soft skill development. Futhermore, the dominant aspect or indicator from the students’ perception of pre-service teachers in teaching competence is indicator 4. Kampus Mengajar program is highly recommended to be implemented in teachers by students and should be encouraged by each universities.

Trait and state mathematics anxiety in autistic and non-autistic school-aged boys.

Autistic children and adolescents may encounter difficulties at school, especially in mathematics, experiencing a pattern of negative feelings, distress, and concerns, which has been called mathematics anxiety. We asked 110 boys (50 autistic, 60 non-autistic) aged between 8 and 16 years old to report their feelings toward mathematics. Specifically, we asked them to fill in a questionnaire on their levels of mathematics anxiety at school and to report their emotional (valence, arousal) and cognitive (perception of competence, worries) responses before and after completing a mathematical task with time pressure. Mathematics anxiety might be an important factor to consider when assessing academic functioning of autistic children and adolescents, to understand whether it can interfere with their school success and well-being. In our sample, no significant group differences emerged for mathematics anxiety experienced at school. However, autistic children and adolescents performed worse in the timed math test than non-autistic peers. Regarding emotional and cognitive factors, lower valence, higher arousal, and higher worries were reported by the autistic participants compared with non-autistic peers. No group differences emerged for perception of competence. Teachers and clinicians should be aware that time pressure could be a negative factor in terms of proficiency and worries in autistic children and adolescents. Furthermore, it is essential to discourage the development of resignation toward academic learning and to improve positive feelings, self-esteem, and self-awareness for a more supportive learning environment.

Japanese language learners’ motivational types and trajectory: Accounts from university students in Australia

Self-determination theory (SDT) was developed to analyse the motivation behind human behaviours, but it has been adopted and utilised in language learning contexts in recent years. Past second language (L2) motivation studies utilising SDT have mostly focused on English as Foreign Language learning and significantly fewer studies have applied SDT to learners of other languages, including Japanese as a foreign language (JFL). Therefore, this study examined the motivation types of JFL learners and the major factors influencing their motivation, and how it changed during a university semester and a semester break. The study found that the students’ motivational trajectory during the semester was relatively stable and that they were mostly driven by intrinsic motivation and identified regulation (goal-driven). The most prominent factors that influenced the students’ motivation were learning content, teaching methods, and perceptions of competence and relatedness. As expected, all the participants were not motivated to study Japanese using formal content during the semester break although some of them maintained their motivation by engaging with informal or semi-formal Japanese learning content. The study carries implications regarding the pedagogical directions for improving tertiary students’ motivation during the semester as well as the semester break.

Competence Perceptions and Affective Responses Limit Social Sharing of Images Featuring People with Larger Body Sizes.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42761-024-00255-z.

System and Organization Controls (SOC) for Cybersecurity as a Nonaudit Service

SUMMARY As cybersecurity risk and disclosure requirements increase, companies are looking to audit practitioners to provide System and Organization Controls (SOC) for Cybersecurity assurance services. Companies can choose to use the same firm as their financial statement auditor (joint provisioning) or a separate assurance provider. This article summarizes a study examining the effects of joint or separate provisioning of this service and cybersecurity incidents on investors’ perceptions of audit quality and investment decisions (Perols and Murthy 2021). The study finds that when the service is jointly provisioned, the negative signal of a subsequent cybersecurity incident can reverse investors’ positive perceptions of auditor competence, increase investors’ sensitivity to potential independence impairments, and result in lower perceptions of audit quality. Overall, the study finds that investors can be less willing to invest in a company when the service is jointly compared to separately provisioned. This article highlights implications for companies, practitioners, and regulators.

Identification of cultural conversations in therapy using natural language processing models.

Researchers have historically focused on understanding therapist multicultural competency and orientation through client self-report measures and behavioral coding. While client perceptions of therapist cultural competency and multicultural orientation and behavioral coding are important, reliance on these methods limits therapists receiving systematic, scalable feedback on cultural opportunities within sessions. Prior research demonstrating the feasibility of automatically identifying topics of conversation in psychotherapy suggests that natural language processing (NLP) models could be trained to automatically identify when clients and therapists are talking about cultural concerns and could inform training and provision of rapid feedback to therapists. Utilizing 103,170 labeled talk turns from 188 psychotherapy sessions, we developed NLP models that recognized the discussion of cultural topics in psychotherapy (F-1 = 70.0; Spearman's ρ = 0.78, p < .001). We discuss implications for research and practice and applications for future NLP-based feedback tools. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Dental Students' Perspective of Transitioning from Pre-Clinical to Clinical Practice.

This study aimed to investigate how dental students at King Abdulaziz University Faculty of Dentistry transitioned from pre-clinical to clinical instruction and how this change affected their learning outcomes. Understanding this transition was crucial to identify the challenges faced by students and the support they required. A mixed-methods approach was utilized, combining qualitative insights from focus group discussions with quantitative data from surveys. Focus groups gathered detailed student experiences regarding their transition, while surveys measured workloads, anxiety levels, and perceptions of clinical competence. The results showed that students have a lot of difficulties because of their heavier workloads, higher levels of anxiety, and the need for better integration of academic knowledge with practical abilities. Concerns over clinical competence and the necessity of improving communication with patients and healthcare teams are other characteristics of the transition phase. The findings highlighted how important structured support networks are for reducing transition-related stress and improving students' readiness for clinical duties. These networks include peer mentorship, orientation programs, and customized curriculum modifications. The study emphasized the value of early exposure to clinical settings and the inclusion of soft skill development in the curriculum, such as empathy and communication. The research advocated for comprehensive reforms in dental education, emphasizing the need for a holistic approach that addresses both the academic and emotional well-being of students. Dental faculties can contribute to the development of more competent and self-assured dental practitioners by improving support systems and incorporating practical experiences earlier in the educational timeline.

Sales managers' perceptions of interpersonal communication competence in leading AI-integrated sales teams

Adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer the issue for most professional organizations—the question is how to integrate it into the functions and organizational processes. Considering the current integration of AI in work processes, the requirements for sales managers' interpersonal communication competence (ICC) are likely to be modified. However, research on sales management competencies is surprisingly scarce. This longitudinal case study investigates sales managers' perceptions of their ICC needs in leading AI-integrated sales teams in the financial sector. During the years 2019–2024, 35 expert interviews with sales managers were collected from one of Scandinavia's largest financial groups. The findings indicate that AI system integration brought benefits, concerns and communication challenges to sales managers' job content. The main components related to sales managers' ICC in leading AI-integrated sales teams encompass both traditional competencies (motivation, knowledge, communication skills, and adaptability) but also include contextual AI factors and a concern for ethical reflectivity. A component model of managerial interpersonal communication competence in AI-integrated teams (MICCAIT) is produced and its implications are examined. Given the greater reliance on technology, sales managers may increasingly need to place greater emphasis on their empathy and people-oriented skills for the human employees remaining in the workplace.

Autonomy-supportive instructional language does not enhance skill acquisition compared to controlling instructional language.

Instructional language is one of three techniques in OPTIMAL theory that can be manipulated to foster an autonomy-supportive practice environment to enhance motor performance and learning. While autonomy-supportive language has been shown to be beneficial in educational psychology, coaching, and health settings, the wording of task instructions has received minimal attention in the motor learning literature to date. We investigated the influence of two instructional language styles on skill acquisition in a preregistered experiment. Participants (N = 156) learned a speed cup stacking task and received instructions throughout practice that used either autonomy-supportive or controlling language. Although the autonomy-supportive instructions resulted in higher perceptions of autonomy, there were no group differences for motor performance in acquisition or retention. Perceptions of competence and intrinsic motivation did not differ between groups at any time point. These data are difficult to reconcile with key predictions in OPTIMAL theory regarding a direct and causal influence of motivational factors on performance and learning. However, our equivalence test suggests these effects on skill acquisition may be smaller than what we were powered to detect. These findings are consistent with a growing body of evidence highlighting the need for much larger N experiments in motor learning research.

A structural equation model for the patient safety competency of clinical nurses.

Nurses are crucial for enhancing patient safety due to their continuous presence at patients' bedsides and close interactions with families and other healthcare providers. This study aims to examine the relationships among safety education, perception of patient safety culture, safety control, and patient safety competence in clinical nurses, while also exploring the mediating effect of perceptions on patient safety culture and safety control. The study involved 165 nurses, including 10 males (6.1%) and 155 females (93.9%). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypothesized model, and data were analyzed using SPSS and AMOS programs. Significant positive correlations were among the frequency of attending safety education, the perception of patient safety culture, safety control, and patient safety competency. The number of safety education briefings attended did not directly influence patient safety competence; however, safety education for nurses indirectly influenced patient safety competence via the perception of patient safety culture and safety control. These findings suggest that enhancing safety education for nurses can improve patient safety competence by shaping their perceptions of patient safety culture and safety control.

Eating Together but Often Feeling Lonely: Residents' Mealtime Experiences in a Nursing Home.

To explore residents' experiences of the mealtime environment in nursing home. An exploratory qualitative design was employed to gain in-depth insights. Twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted with residents at a nursing home. Data were analysed using thematic analysis as outlined by Braun and Clarke. The consolidated criteria for Reporting Qualitative research checklist were used to support the research process. Four main themes emerged from the analysis: (1) The significance of food, emphasising the centrality of food quality and variety in residents' mealtime experiences. (2) Security through routines, illustrating how established mealtime routines provide comfort and predictability. (3) Variability in staff influence, reflecting residents' perceptions of staff competence and their impact on the dining experience. (4) Limited social interactions, highlighting the varied social dynamics and their effects on residents' sense of community and isolation. The study underscores the critical importance of food quality, staff compliance and consistent routines in enhancing mealtime experiences in nursing homes. Additionally, it reveals that the ability to choose social interactions plays a significant role in residents' satisfaction and social well-being. This study provides valuable insights for improving mealtime experiences in nursing homes, suggesting that person-centred care and resident involvement in meal planning can enhance satisfaction and nutritional intake. The findings offer practical guidance for healthcare management, emphasising the need to prioritise and personalise mealtime environments to better meet residents' needs and preferences.

Acceptability of physiotherapists as primary care practitioners for the care of people with musculoskeletal disorders: a French population-based cross-sectional survey

ObjectivesIn France, early access to physiotherapy for people with musculoskeletal disorders (MSKDs) depends on prescription and referral by the family physician in the physician-led model of care. The readiness of French people for direct access to physiotherapy is not known. This survey aims to identify the perceptions of French adults regarding physiotherapists' competence to diagnose and manage MSKDs if they were primary care practitioners, confidence in their ability to provide quality care, and satisfaction with the last episode of care for those concerned; and to identify factors associated with these three variables. DesignFrench population-based cross-sectional survey. ParticipantsA representative sample of the French adult population was surveyed between June 2020 and September 2021. Outcome measuresCollected variables included previous physiotherapy experience, perception of competence to diagnose and manage MSKDs as primary care practitioners, confidence about quality of care, and self-referral preferences. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the factors associated with these three variables. ResultsA total of 1000 participants completed the survey; 854 (85%) believed that physiotherapists would be competent primary care practitioners, and 920 (92%) were confident about the quality of care. Most had previously consulted a physiotherapist (n = 823, 82%); of these, 762 (91%) were satisfied with care received. ConclusionThis large sample of French adults considered physiotherapists as competent to diagnose and treat some MSKDs as primary care practitioners, and that they provided quality care. Further studies should investigate the scope of care, safety, and efficacy of a direct access physiotherapy model. Contribution of Paper•Physiotherapists were considered competent as primary care practitioners.•Participants were satisfied with previous physiotherapy received.•Our results support the implementation of direct access physiotherapy in France.