Strategy Profile Research Articles

Exploring multiple intelligences and language learning strategies among science and technology students in a Malaysian university

Abstract Student profiling and learning strategies have gained the interest of many researchers. In language learning in particular, understanding students’ learning strategies as well as their multiple intelligence profiles is significant because it allows the teachers to develop and design lessons and materials that are customised to their diverse learning needs. Hence, this study investigates the Multiple Intelligences (MI) and Language Learning Strategy (LLS) profiles of students from various science and technology faculties of Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Terengganu, with a focus on gender differences. The study’s objectives were to determine the dominant students’ MI profiles, their preferred LLS, and gender variations in these variables. Two instruments were adopted in this study, namely McKenzie’s Multiple Intelligences Inventory and the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL). The findings indicated that the students mostly acquire introspective intelligence, and the majority of male respondents use metacognitive learning strategies. However, the findings revealed a significant positive relationship between MI and LLS. Based on these findings, the study emphasises the importance of incorporating MI and LLS in language teaching and learning and provides recommendations for language teachers to create lesson plans and teaching materials that suit the students’ needs.

Profiles of alcohol and cannabis protective behavioral strategies use across two large, multi-site college student samples of concurrent alcohol and cannabis users

Concurrent use of alcohol and cannabis among college students is common and confers greater harms than the use of either of these substances alone. Large and growing bodies of literature have demonstrated the independent utility of behaviors used before, during, after, or instead of alcohol and cannabis use that minimize related harms (i.e., protective behavioral strategies [PBS]). However, little is known about the relationship between alcohol and cannabis PBS and their joint influence on harms among college students who concurrently use alcohol and cannabis. In the present study, we used data from two large, multi-site samples of college students, and restricted analyses to those who reported at least one episode of alcohol and cannabis use in the past 30 days (Study 1: N = 1104[Mage = 20.3, SD = 3.8; 70.0 % female; 79.5 % white]; Study 2: N = 2034[Mage = 20.2, SD = 3.2; 69.1 % female; 76.6 % white]). A latent profile analysis supported a 4-profile solution that was largely consistent across samples: Profile 1 (low alcohol/cannabis PBS; 8.8–11.9 %), Profile 2 (average alcohol/cannabis PBS; 33.1–37.7 %), Profile 3 (average alcohol PBS/low cannabis PBS; 16.3–25.2 %), and Profile 4 (high alcohol/cannabis PBS; 29.8–37.2 %). Profile 4 reported the least alcohol/cannabis use, fewest negative alcohol-/cannabis-related consequences, and lowest alcohol/cannabis use severity. In contrast, Profile 1 was the opposite for alcohol-related outcomes, and Profile 3 was the opposite for cannabis-related outcomes. These findings are preliminary but may suggest that targeting both alcohol and cannabis PBS in intervention is generally beneficial except some groups at risk for a particular substance may benefit from increased focus on that substance in intervention.

Tight Inapproximability for Graphical Games

We provide a complete characterization for the computational complexity of finding approximate equilibria in two-action graphical games. We consider the two most well-studied approximation notions: ε-Nash equilibria (ε-NE) and ε-well-supported Nash equilibria (ε-WSNE), where ε is in [0,1]. We prove that computing an ε-NE is PPAD-complete for any constant ε smaller than 1/2, while a very simple algorithm (namely, letting all players mix uniformly between their two actions) yields a 1/2-NE. On the other hand, we show that computing an ε-WSNE is PPAD-complete for any constant ε smaller than 1, while a 1-WSNE is trivial to achieve, because any strategy profile is a 1-WSNE. All of our lower bounds immediately also apply to graphical games with more than two actions per player.

The dynamics of corruption under an optional external supervision service

External supervision services play an important role in combating corruption by detecting potential collusive bribery. This work aims at studying the dynamics of collusive bribery when participants have the option of engaging the external supervision services. To do so, we construct a basic model where collusive bribery can happen between the defecting participants who aim to escape from a punishment by offering a bribe to rule enforcers who monitor interactions among all participants. Among rule enforcers, only the corrupt ones accept the bribe and ignore the violations. The cooperative participants can engage the external supervision service at a certain cost to avoid the risk of potential collusive bribery. Under the framework of evolutionary game theory, we find that a higher initial fraction of honest enforcers is more likely to lead to a trusting cooperating equilibrium. We also find that, when allowing random exploration of available strategies, increasing the exploration rate of rule enforcers is effective in combating corruption for both infinite and finite populations. Lastly, we find that minimizing the cost of external supervision services is not always good. When the system evolves into a cooperating equilibrium, a low cost of external supervision service induces unnecessary costs of seeking external supervision. When the strategy profiles exhibit stable oscillations, there exists an optimal cost of external supervision, considering the trade-off between minimizing the chance of exposing cooperative participants to collusive bribery and strengthening the punishment on the corrupt enforcers. Premised on the results, we discuss practical management suggestions.

Digital Literacy Requires School Resilience

Digital literacy requires school resilience. The purpose of this study is to describe the profile of school resilience and strategies for strengthening school resilience in order to strengthen digital literacy. The method used in this study is a descriptive method that combines quantitative and qualitative (mix method). The research was conducted at SMN N 1 Mungkid involving 40 teachers and 100 students with a multistage random sampling model. The sampling technique in this study was determined using the Lameshow formula, with a total sample of 140 people. Data collection techniques were also carried out using a questionnaire technique through online media (google form) and documentation. The analytical technique used is descriptive with the Excel program using a categorization method based on percentage calculations. The results showed that the overall resilience of Mungkid Junior High School in facing the digital literacy era according to teachers and students was at the lower score, which is in the category of positive resilience building scale (teachers: 31%; Students: 40%). The strategy for strengthening school resilience in the digital literacy era are (1) adapting to situations and conditions, (2) school intervention in overcoming environmental risks and transitions, (3) identifying factors that can help schools overcome crises, (4) skills mapping to identify training needs, (5) identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the education system, and (6) documenting the learning gained by taking into account the availability of school human resources (HR), continuous professional development, communication, network support, adaptation and knowledge-based development.

Linking friction, social coordination and the speed of evolution

We consider a model of social coordination and network formation where agents decide on an action in a coordination game and on whom to form costly links with. We explore the role of linking friction, where an agent cannot change all of her links simultaneously when choosing an alternative linking decision. Given linking friction, interaction structures are not fully flexible. We introduce a new solution concept of static equilibria, local Nash equilibria, and find that the set of local Nash equilibria may include action-heterogenous strategy profiles. Furthermore, risk-dominant strategy profiles are stochastically stable when linking friction is restrictive, and payoff-dominant strategy profiles are stochastically stable when linking friction becomes less restrictive. More importantly, linking friction can greatly accelerate the emergence of payoff-dominant strategy profiles.

DETERMINING THE OPTIMAL PRICING STRATEGY FOR ONLINE CINEMAS USING AN AGENT-BASED MODEL ON THE EXAMPLE OF IVI AND KINOPOISK

The relevance of the study is justified by the phenomenon of the ever-increasing demand for online cinema services in the presence of free «pirate» resources, the heterogeneity of consumers of online cinemas that form the demand for their services, hence the low predictability of demand. The purpose of the study is to determine the optimal pricing policy in the conditions of competition of online cinemas. The constructed model predicts the demand for the services of the two leaders of the online cinema market with a reliability of more than 99%. Results: in a static game with full information, the price of a Kinopoisk subscription roughly corresponds to the best answer to the Ivi strategy to set the price at the current level; the Ivi subscription price corresponds to one of the Pareto optimal outcomes of the game, characterized by the symmetry of the strategy profile, the Nash equilibrium has not been achieved in reality.

Assessing the eco-efficiency of industrial parks recycling transformation: Evidence from data envelopment analysis (DEA) and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA)

Industrial parks are essential for promoting regional economic development, yet their linear growth model has become unsustainable. Hence, implementing the industrial park recycling transformation (IPRT) is necessary and urgent. However, the current literature on IPRT performance evaluation and improvement has not kept up with practical developments. This study aims to evaluate the eco-efficiency of IPRT and identify the variables and configurations that affect its enhancement. To achieve this, the authors employed super-efficiency data envelopment analysis and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis to analyze data collected from 21 IPRT demonstration pilot parks. Drawing on the Technology-Organization-Environment framework, this study identified three configurations with high eco-efficiency and two configurations with non-high eco-efficiency for IPRT. The findings indicate that eco-efficiency varies significantly among different parks and is the result of multiple factors and interactions, with environmental supervision playing a pivotal role. Additionally, the results suggest that the local economic development level and the technological capacity of parks are substitutable. Parks in regions with modest economies tend to focus on environment-technology-oriented transformations, while external factors drive IPRT of parks in areas with developed economies. These findings offer guidance for parks to adopt appropriate strategy profiles and provide policy options for governments.

The Correlation between EFL Students’ Metacognitive Reading Strategy and their Reading Comprehension on English Expository Text

The study aimed at revealing the correlation between English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students’ metacognive reading strategy and their reading comprehension on English expository text. The research applied quantitative method, particularly descriptive and correlational designs. The subjects were the students of Senior High School (SMAS) Buqátun Mubarakah Makassar. The instrument used to collect the data was questionnaire which was adapted from SORS inventory. The data were analyzed by using SPSS Version 22, particularly Pearson Product Moment Correlation Formula. The results of the study showed that the majority of the students in this current time were in possession of high metacognitive reading strategy. Furthermore, the metacognitive reading strategy profile of SMAS Buqátun Mubarakah students was problem solving strategy where the students used some actions and procedures while working directly with the text. Since metacognitive reading strategy included awareness and conscious willing of one or more strategies to monitor reading comprehension, there was tendency of metacognitive reading strategy influenced reading comprehension of the students. Therefore, based on the analysis result of this study, there was significant positive correlation between the EFL students’ metacognitive reading strategy and their reading comprehension on English expository text.

Sampling from the Gibbs Distribution in Congestion Games

Logit dynamics is a form of randomized game dynamics in which players have a bias toward strategic deviations that give a higher improvement in cost. It is used extensively in practice. In congestion (or potential) games, the dynamics converge to the so-called Gibbs distribution over the set of all strategy profiles when interpreted as a Markov chain. In general, logit dynamics can converge slowly to the Gibbs distribution, but beyond that, not much is known about its algorithmic aspects, nor that of the Gibbs distribution. In this work, we are interested in the following two questions for congestion games: (i) Is there an efficient algorithm for sampling from the Gibbs distribution? (ii) If yes, does there also exist natural randomized dynamics that converge quickly to the Gibbs distribution? We first study these questions in extension parallel congestion games, a well-studied special case of symmetric network congestion games. As our main result, we show that there is a simple variation on the logit dynamics that converges quickly to the Gibbs distribution in such games. We also address the first question for the class of so-called capacitated uniform congestion games and the second question for max cut games played on a complete graph. To prove our results, we rely on the recent breakthrough work of Anari et al. (2019) regarding the approximate sampling of a base of a matroid according to a strongly log-concave probability distribution.

재한 몽골 학생들의 학업 스트레스 대처 전략 잠재집단에 따른 학업탄력성, 학업열의 및 학업 성취도의 차이

This study aims to examine the academic stress coping strategies profiles of Mongolian students in Korea and to explore the differences in academic resilience, academic engagement, and academic achievement according to academic stress coping strategies profiles. The study respondents were 211 students from the 5th grade of elementary school to the 3rd grade of high school at a Mongolian school in Korea. As a result of the study, five types of latent profiles were found to be suitable for the data. 'The lowest adaptive coping strategies+the and lowest maladaptive coping strategies group' (Group 1), 'The high adaptive coping strategies+low maladaptive coping strategies group' (Group 2), 'the low adaptive coping strategies+moderate maladaptive coping strategies group' (Group 3), 'adaptive coping strategies+high maladaptive coping strategies group' (Group 4), and 'medium adaptive coping strategies+high maladaptive coping strategies group' (Group 5). Examining the differences between profiles in academic resilience, academic engagement, and academic achievement, with the exception, academic resilience, academic engagement, and academic achievement of the 'high adaptation + low maladjustment academic stress coping strategies' group and 'high adaptation + high maladaptive academic stress coping strategies' group were higher than the other groups. Based on the research results, educational interventions to help Mongolian students in Korea were discussed.

The competitive strategy profile of Ukrainian inland water transport: economic justification

Purpose. The work aims to build a profile of the competitive strategy of inland water transport of Ukraine and its economic justification. Methodology. The theoretical and methodological basis of the study was the fundamental scientific principles of general economic theory and transport economics, works by domestic and foreign scientists in the field of competitive strategies, economic justification of competitive strategy profiles, and sustainable economic development. We used methods such as “SNW”, “SPACE”, and “ADL” to solve the tasks of our research. The information base of the study consists of: collected, processed, and summarized primary materials of economic research, official statistics, monographs, and scientific and analytical articles of domestic and foreign authors. Findings. The work determines the economic essence of the competitive strategy profile. The profile of the Ukrainian inland water transport competitive strategy was constructed. The profile by the method of “SNW” was analyzed and economically justified by the “SPACE” and “ADL” methods. In the context of European integration, a system of strategic recommendations for the Ukrainian inland water transport competitive strategy formation was proposed. Originality. In this work, the methodological approach to building a profile of competitive strategy of inland water transport of Ukraine was further developed, which, in contrast to existing methods, includes critical elements of competitive potential, such as natural resource, production, labor, institutional, innovation and investment ones. This allows a comprehensive assessment of the results of economic threats and dangers in its use. The proposed system of recommendations for forming a competitive strategy, which will allow positioning Ukraine’s inland water transport in the European market of transport services in terms of European integration. Practical value. The presented results of the study can be used to improve the management system of Ukrainian inland waterway transport, in particular, in the part of selecting the most appropriate models of financing costs for the implementation of competitive strategies of water transport in Ukraine in the conditions of structural changes in the macro-environment in the context of overcoming the consequences of military aggression in the period of post-war recovery of Ukraine.

청소년의 학업스트레스 대처전략의 잠재프로파일에 따른 자기결정성동기, 수업참여와 이탈, 주관적 안녕감의 차이

This study was conducted to examine how adaptive and maladaptive academic coping strategies are combined and how different combinations are associated with predictors and outcomes, respectively. A latent profile analysis was applied to the data of 611 adolescents, with five types of regulation on the self-determination continuum as predictors and (dis)engagement and well-being as outcomes. The results were as follows. First, five distinct profiles of coping strategies were identified: low, adaptive, high-adaptive, average, and high-maladaptive profiles. Second, the more students were autonomously motivated, the more they were likely to belong to the adaptive, high-adaptive profiles. In contrast, the lower quality motivation they reported, the less they were likely to belong to the two profiles characterized by high level of adaptive coping strategies. Finally, there were significant differences in (dis)engagement and well-being between the five profiles. The high-adaptive, adaptive, high-maladaptive, average and low profiles were shown to be high on engagement in a descending order. Both low and high-maladaptive profiles displayed the highest disengagement, whereas both adaptive and high-adaptive profiles displayed the lowest disengagement. The adaptive and high-adaptive profiles were higher in well-being than the other three profiles. These findings provide a full understanding of coping strategies adolescents use in the face of academic difficulties and suggest practical implications on targeted interventions to facilitate their reliance on adaptive coping strategies.

Existence and stability results on the unilateral support equilibrium

In this paper, we consider non-cooperative games where each player has an other-regarding behavior. In particular, we study the unilateral support equilibrium introduced by Schouten et al. (2019). A strategy profile is a unilateral support equilibrium if each player’s strategy maximizes the payoff of each other when the opponents do not deviate from their equilibrium strategies. We give necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of unilateral support equilibria in games where players have discontinuous and non necessarily ordered preferences. Moreover, we study the stability of equilibria when the players partially support the others or perturbations on players’ preferences occur.

Listening to music during a repeated sprint test improves performance and psychophysiological responses in healthy and physically active male adults

BackgroundIt is well-documented that listening to music has the potential to improve physical performance during intense physical exercise. Less information is available on the timing of music application. This study aimed to investigate the effects of listening to preferred music during the warm up of a subsequent test or during the test on performance of repeated sprint sets (RSS) in adult males.MethodsIn a randomized cross-over design, 19 healthy males (age, 22.1 ± 1.2 years; body mass, 72.7 ± 9.3 kg; height, 1.79 ± 0.06 m; BMI, 22.6 ± 2.2 kg m−2) performed a test including 2 sets of 5*20-m repeated-sprints under one of three conditions: listening to preferred music during the test; listening to preferred music during the warm-up; or not listening to music. The assessed parameters comprised RSS performance indices, blood lactate, heart rate, the pacing strategy profile, rating of perceived exertion, and a feeling scale.ResultsFor performance indices during set 1 of the RSS test, we found a significant decrease in total sum sequence, fast time index and fatigue index in the listening to preferred music condition compared to the no music condition (total sum sequence: p = 0.006, d = 0.93; fast time index: p = 0.003, d = 0.67; fatigue index: p < 0.001; d = 1.30) and the listening to preferred music during the warm-up condition (fast time index: p = 0.002; d = 1.15; fatigue index: p = 0.006; d = 0.74). However, there was no significant effect of listening to preferred music on physical performance during set 2 of the RSS test. Compared to the no music condition, blood lactate concentrations were higher in the listening to preferred music during the test condition (p = 0.025; d = 0.92). In addition, listening to preferred music appears not to have an effect on heart rate, the pacing strategy profile, perceived exertion, and affective responses before, during and after the RSS test.ConclusionFindings from this study revealed that RSS performances were better (FT and FI indices) in the PMDT compared with the PMWU condition. Moreover, in set 1 of the RSS test, better RSS indices were found in the PMDT compared to NM condition.

Who are you? Cartel detection using unlabeled data

We propose a data-driven machine learning approach to flag bid-rigging cartels in the Brazilian road maintenance sector. First, we apply a clustering algorithm to group the tenders based on their attributes. Second, we use the labels created by the clustering algorithm as a target variable to predict them using a classifier. We rank the screens according to their relevance to decrease the number of false positive (detecting cartel when it does not exist) and false negative (not detecting cartel when it does exist) predictions. Our results shed light on the need to use a range of screens to recognize the vast profile of strategies practiced by bid-rigging cartels, such as misleading competitive dynamics, bid combination, and cover bidding behavior. Our method can improve cartels’ deterrence in different economic sectors, especially when labeled data are not available. In a controlled environment with a simulated labeled dataset, the overall average accuracy of the algorithm is 99.33%. In a real-world cartel case with a labeled dataset, the overall average accuracy is 80.25%. When applied to the road maintenance unlabeled dataset, our model identified a group containing 273 (31% of the total) suspicious tenders. We conclude by offering a policy prescription discussion for antitrust authorities.

Game-Theoretic Model for the Interaction of the Online Course Design Process Participants within the University

The market of digital educational resources and, in particular, online courses for the higher education system is actively developing. A significant role in creating a high-quality competitive online course is played by the organizational and legal system of interaction between authors and the university. This research article aims at developing a game-theoretical model of interaction between the participants of online course creating process in order to identify optimal (mutually beneficial) options and conditions for partnership interaction between the authors of online courses and the university. To represent the interaction between the authors and the university in terms of game theory, there are analyzed the specific features of creating an online course. The authors are the first to construct a mathematical game model for a typical situation of commercializing an online course within the university-and-author interaction. This situation is interpreted as a dynamic finite paired non-antagonistic non-cooperative game with complete perfect information. The Nash equilibrium, perfect on subgames, is found by the method of backward induction; the profile of optimal strategies is determined. The analysis of the results can help to substantiate, form and improve the strategy of mutually beneficial cooperation between the authors of the online course and the university.

The graph structure of two-player games

In this paper, we analyse two-player games by their response graphs. The response graph has nodes which are strategy profiles, with an arc between profiles if they differ in the strategy of a single player, with the direction of the arc indicating the preferred option for that player. Response graphs, and particularly their sink strongly connected components, play an important role in modern techniques in evolutionary game theory and multi-agent learning. We show that the response graph is a simple and well-motivated model of strategic interaction which captures many non-trivial properties of a game, despite not depending on cardinal payoffs. We characterise the games which share a response graph with a zero-sum or potential game respectively, and demonstrate a duality between these sets. This allows us to understand the influence of these properties on the response graph. The response graphs of Matching Pennies and Coordination are shown to play a key role in all two-player games: every non-iteratively-dominated strategy takes part in a subgame with these graph structures. As a corollary, any game sharing a response graph with both a zero-sum game and potential game must be dominance-solvable. Finally, we demonstrate our results on some larger games.

Adverse inclusion of asymmetric advertisers in position auctions

Product listing platforms commonly use generalized second-price auctions to select competing advertisers for limited ad positions. However, when advertisers are asymmetric, position auctions may confound the post-auction competition structure and thus endogenize the bidders’ values of the ad positions. We build an analytical model to examine the impact of position auctions on an asymmetric market structure, which consists of a mass marketer and two specialized advertisers of heterogeneous quality efficiencies. The advertisers bid for two ad slots and then compete for the market in price and quality. We find that the asymmetric market structure may increase the uncertainty of the auction outcomes, which then may induce the advertisers to underbid using a conservative strategy profile in the locally-envy free equilibrium. Consequently, the auction outcome may adversely include the less-efficient specialized advertiser. This result is stronger than the position paradox in the classic auction literature, as the advertiser with a competitive advantage may be driven out and obtain zero profit.

Leadership under the shadow of the future: Intelligence and strategy choice in infinitely repeated games

We examine the impact of intelligence on decision making in an infinitely repeated sequential public goods game. Using a two-part experiment, we collect data on subjects’ intelligence and a wide range of preference characteristics, and match these to their full contingent strategy profiles. We find that leaders are less likely to play a free-riding strategy as their intelligence increases. Followers are less likely to play a grim-trigger strategy as intelligence increases. Performing simulations using players’ strategies, we find that groups contribute more and are more profitable as intelligence increases. Our results have implications for the design of policies promoting group success.