Bulletin of NTU "KhPI". Series: Problems of Electrical Machines and Apparatus Perfection. The Theory and Practice / Вісник Національного технічного університету "ХПІ". Серія: Проблеми удосконалювання електричних машин і апаратів. Теорія і практика
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Researchers’ achievement goals: Prevalence, structure, and associations with job burnout/engagement and professional learning
No full textResearchers’ motivations are important for high-quality research and the productivity of the scientific system, but remain largely uninvestigated. Using three studies, we tested the usefulness of Achievement Goal Theory (AGT) for describing research motivations, investigated which goals researchers pursue, and examined their associations with job burnout/engagement and professional learning. Interviewing 20 researchers (Study 1), we found that most of their goals in the research context were classifiable as achievement goals. Apart from mastery and performance goals that are well-established in the AGT literature, they also mentioned relational and work-avoidance goals. Mastery goals comprised task and learning standards, performance goals comprised appearance and normative strivings. In Study 2, we used a standardized questionnaire to assess these goals in 824 researchers, along with burnout/engagement, professional learning time, and professional learning gains. Results confirmed the separability of all conceptualized goals, measurement invariance across academic status, and differential patterns of associations with burnout/engagement and professional learning. In Study 3, we analyzed these constructs in 471 researchers at two time points, six months apart. Results attested measurement invariance over time. Cross-lagged analyses documented similar associations as in Study 2. Learning approach and relational goals had positive effects on professional learning; appearance avoidance and work-avoidance goals were negative predictors. In contrast, burnout was negatively predicted by normative avoidance goals. However, high initial burnout levels were associated with reduced task approach and learning approach, and stronger work-avoidance goals six months later. Taken together, the results highlight the usefulness of AGT for understanding researchers’ motivations, and their relatedness with professional learning and well-being at work
Methods for testing publication bias in ecological and evolutionary meta-analyses
No full text1. Publication bias threatens the validity of quantitative evidence from meta-analyses as it results in some findings being overrepresented in meta-analytic datasets because they are published more frequently or sooner (e.g., ‘positive’ results). Unfortunately, methods to test for the presence of publication bias, or assess its impact on meta-analytic results, are unsuitable for datasets with high heterogeneity and non-independence, as is common in ecology and evolutionary biology.
2. We first review both classic and emerging publication bias tests (e.g., funnel plots, Egger’s regression, cumulative meta-analysis, fail-safe N, trim-and-fill tests, p-curve and selection models), showing that some tests cannot handle heterogeneity, and, more importantly, none of the methods can deal with non-independence. For each method we estimate current usage in ecology and evolutionary biology, based on a representative sample of 102 meta-analyses published in the last ten years.
3. Then, we propose a new method using multilevel meta-regression, which can model both heterogeneity and non-independence, by extending existing regression-based methods (i.e. Egger’s regression). We describe how our multilevel meta-regression can test not only publication bias, but also time-lag bias, and how it can be supplemented by residual funnel plots.
4. Overall, we provide ecologists and evolutionary biologists with practical recommendations on which methods are appropriate to employ given independent and non-independent effect sizes. No method is ideal, and more simulation studies are required to understand how Type 1 and 2 error rates are impacted by complex data structures. Still, the limitations of these methods do not justify ignoring publication bias in ecological and evolutionary meta-analyses
Weight effects and the parametrization of the foot: English versus Portuguese
No full textThis paper explores the possibility that even though English and Portuguese present similar stress patterns on the surface, the two languages may be formally different: whereas English offers strong evidence for the foot, Portuguese does not. We present new data on the relationship between syllable weight and antepenultimate stress in both languages. We experimentally show that weight effects in English are consistent with an analysis of stress that employs feet. Weight effects in Portuguese, in contrast, are not optimally accounted for by a foot-based analysis. Sonority effects captured in our experimental data from Portuguese further question the role that the foot plays in this language, but not in English. Additional evidence for the foot in English comes from word minimality constraints, which are never violated in the language, unlike in Portuguese, where violations are commonly observed both in the lexicon and in derived words
School Segregation and Native Flight. Evidence from School Catchment Area Borders.
No full textAlthough extensively theorized, determining the mechanisms that produce ethnic or racial segregation in schools and neighborhoods has proven difficult. We investigate one potential mechanism behind ethnic segregation; native flight from schools. In contexts where school enrollment is determined primarily by geographic proximity to schools, Native or White parents with a preference for schools with low minority concentrations may choose to move away from schools with higher minority concentrations among students, contributing to both residential and school segregation. Using detailed, population-wide, geo-coded register data on families and school catchment areas for elementary schools in Oslo, Norway, we investigate whether native parents move away from schools with higher shares of students with non-Western immigrant backgrounds. We first show that native origin families systematically move away from schools with high shares of students with non-Western immigrant backgrounds. Employing a Geographic Regression Discontinuity design, exploiting the fact that catchment area borders sort neighboring children into different schools, our results indicate that such moves may be causally linked to local school characteristics, not just their neighborhoods. This may contribute to segregation in schools and neighborhoods. However, the results are ambiguous and sensitive to model specifications, and more research is needed to draw firm conclusions
Making FAIR trustworthy
No full textThe life sciences community is now increasingly leaning on the processing powers of machines to carry out advanced scientific research. So in order to adequately exploit the capabilities of machines in science, the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles for scientific data management and stewardship have been proposed. These principles are to assist scientists in tweaking their established research routines so as to unlock the true potential of machines and contribute to better science.
However, through interviews with key scientist groups implicated by FAIR we have learned that doing what FAIR demands also presents certain epistemic concerns that discourage scientists to trust FAIR. One such concern is the loss of valuable knowledge in the translation of versatile human readable research output to a restricted, machine friendly language to enable machine action (semantic freedom). A second concern is evident in the displacement of human expertise by this increasing reliance on machines and the ensuing loss of knowledge contributed by these displaced experts (expert intuition).
Thus, through this article, we highlight how incorporating FAIR also presents an epistemic loss to the scientific community. But the lack of attention given to these concerns by the proponents of FAIR offers scientists who have to abide by FAIR sufficient reason to resist it. We thus propose that while the implementation of FAIR has so far been paternalistic and top-down, such concerns have also made the scientist sceptical. So by initiating a more balanced, open and honest discussion of not just the benefits and promises of FAIR but also such epistemic costs, FAIR could lay to rest reasons for such scepticism and foster trust within the stakeholders of FAIR
Shielding working-memory representations from temporally predictable external interference
No full textProtecting working-memory content from distracting external sensory inputs and intervening tasks is a ubiquitous demand in daily life. Here, we ask whether and how temporal expectations about external events can help mitigate effects of such interference during working-memory retention. We manipulated the temporal predictability of interfering items that occurred during the retention period of a visual working-memory task and report that temporal expectations reduce the detrimental influence of external interference on subsequent memory performance. Moreover, to determine if the protective effects of temporal expectations rely on distractor suppression or involve shielding of internal representations, we compared effects after irrelevant distractors that could be ignored vs. interrupters that required a response. Whereas distractor suppression may be sufficient to confer protection from predictable distractors, any benefits after interruption are likely to involve memory shielding. We found similar benefits of temporal expectations after both types of interference. We conclude that temporal expectations may play an important role in safeguarding behaviour based on working memory – acting through mechanisms that include the shielding of internal content from external interference
The Only Thing That Can Stop Bad Causal Inference Is Good Causal Inference
No full textIn psychology, causal inference—both the transport from lab estimates to the real world and estimation on the basis of observational data—is often pursued in a casual manner. Underlying assumptions remain unarticulated; potential pitfalls are compiled in post-hoc lists of flaws. The field should move on to coherent frameworks of causal inference and generalizability that have been developed elsewhere
Paying Attention to the Pandemic: Knowledge of COVID-19 Facts by News Source and Demographics
No full textPublished version available in American Behavioral Scientist: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12108-023-09589-w. The structured inequalities built into our sociotechnical institutions shape access to knowledge. During the COVID-19 pandemic, knowledge acquisition was shaped by news sources, class, and race. Through analysis of nationally representative data using logistic models, this study reveals how the use of different news sources differentially shapes access to accurate knowledge about COVID-19 topics for different demographics. Those who rely on informal and local news sources have the largest knowledge gaps about these topics, while those who seek information from national or international news outlets and politicians have the most accurate knowledge. Race and class influence knowledge of government operations, public health, and science of COVID-19. In particular, Black people, people with less education, and those with lower incomes are significantly less likely to have accurate knowledge about COVID-19, all else equal. These findings have implications for knowledge dissemination that impacts public health, as well as for how news media target different audiences in an increasingly fractured landscape
Evolving Nurturing Societies
No full textThis thesis describes conceptual and empirical work aiming to increase the prevalence
of nurturance in society. Biglan et al. (2012) described the four key characteristics of the
nurturing environments framework from a prevention perspective: minimizing toxic
environmental and social conditions; teaching and reinforcing prosocial behavior; limiting
opportunities for problem behavior; and developing psychological flexibility. In this thesis, I
explore the notion that the nurturing environments framework can be relevant to promote
health and well-being for any population in any context. An important step in creating more
nurturing societies is to develop reliable and useful ways to assess processes and outcomes
related to nurturing environments. Ideally, this also helps clarify what nurturance entails in
terms of behavior and contextual conditions and provides specific targets of change.
Study 1 describes the broad scientific basis for a cultural evolutionary view of
nurturance based on an analysis of multiple sectors of society. Study 2 proposes the Nurture
Consilience as a framework and coalition movement for increasing the prevalence of
nurturing environments, providing examples and recommendations of actions in this
direction. Study 3 is a review of experimental evaluations of comprehensive multi-sector
community interventions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, finding that experimental
research in this area is largely non-existent. Study 4 uses the PAX Good Behavior Game as an
example of a model that can promote nurturance in multiple sectors of society by illustrating
how the PAX system’s integration of evidence-based kernels can be adapted to different
settings. Study 5 is a feasibility study on the use of a smartphone app to support the transfer of
leadership skills from training program to everyday use, as an example of a potentially
scalable and cost-effective tool to implement skills that promote nurturance. Study 6 details
the development of an instrument to assess nurturance in workgroups, and elaborates on how
it can be used in other settings.
The studies in this thesis provide an overview of the concept of nurturance, how it can
benefit members of society, and adds to the knowledge on assessment and intervention to
evolve nurturing societies
Changes in Teacher Burnout and Self-Efficacy During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Interrelations and Variables Related to Change
No full textAlthough the reciprocal relationship of teacher burnout and teacher self-efficacy (TSE) is well documented, the literature still lacks studies investigating their (latent) changes and interrelations of change over time. By applying a latent change regression model in our study, we aimed to contribute to this research gap by examining changes in burnout and their relations to changes in TSE during the COVID-19 pandemic—a very challenging time for teachers. As the implementation of digital learning material played a major role during the pandemic, we were also interested if attitudes and self-efficacy toward e-Learning were related to changes in burnout and TSE. Our sample consisted of 92 German in-service teachers who completed a questionnaire twice during the 2019–2020 school year. Our main findings are that the burnout components depersonalization and lack of accomplishment significantly increased from the pre- to post-COVID-19 outbreak, whereas emotional exhaustion did not. Changes in burnout were negatively correlated to changes in TSE, but we found little evidence for relations of change in burnout and TSE with variables concerning e-Learning. Our findings indicate that the challenge was not the work overload but rather a lack of resources. Implications for research and practice are discussed