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Aligning with Logic:Measuring, Evaluating and Improving Logical Preference Consistency in Large Language Models
No full textLarge Language Models (LLMs) are expected to be predictable and trustworthy to support reliable decision-making systems. Yet current LLMs often show inconsistencies in their judgments. In this work, we examine logical preference consistency as a foundational requirement for building more dependable LLM systems, ensuring stable and coherent decision-making while minimizing erratic or contradictory outputs. To quantify the logical preference consistency, we propose a universal evaluation framework based on three fundamental properties: transitivity, commutativity and negation invariance. Through extensive experimentation across diverse LLMs, we demonstrate that these properties serve as strong indicators of judgment robustness. Furthermore, we introduce a data refinement and augmentation technique, REPAIR, that enhances logical consistency while maintaining alignment with human preferences. Finally, we show that improving consistency leads to better performance in LLM-driven logic-based algorithms, reinforcing stability and coherence in decision-making systems
Audit committee financial expertise, equity compensation and employee whistleblowing
No full textMotivated by the importance of effective oversight in mitigating the risks of employee external whistleblowing, this study investigates the effect of audit committee financial expertise and equity compensation on employee external whistleblowing. Drawing on theories of motivated reasoning and overconfidence, I propose that while audit committee financial expertise could enhance oversight, higher equity compensation can trigger cognitive biases that lead audit committee members to overestimate their monitoring effectiveness and discount or overlook the risks in internal reports of wrongdoing, increasing employee external whistleblowing. Using a sample of U.S. listed firms involved in misconduct, I find that greater audit committee financial expertise is associated with lower levels of employee external whistleblowing when audit committee equity compensation is low, but with higher levels of employee external whistleblowing when equity compensation is high. These findings suggest that audit committee equity compensation may undermine the benefits of financial expertise, offering new insights into the unintended consequences of governance and compensation practices.</p
Generative AI for Learning Analytics (GenAI-LA):Evidence of Impacts on Human Learning
No full textThe Second GenAI-LA workshop aims to examine the impacts of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) on human learning. As technological advancements continue to reshape education, GenAI presents new opportunities for various aspects such as personalised learning, automated feedback and so on. However, empirical evidence of GenAI’s impacts on human learning remains limited, necessitating the adoption of learning analytics to offer rigorous and evidence-driven insights on how GenAI affects human learning. This workshop aims to ignite discussions and foster collaboration among a subcommunity of LA researchers and practitioners to scrutinise and envision how LA may shed light on GenAI’s impacts on human learning. We received a total of 13 paper submissions. Following a thorough peer review process, we accepted 10 papers. These papers present unique findings / directions to the utilisation of LA for enabling empirical evidence regarding how GenAI plays a role in human learning, from the theoretical discussions of concerns in leveraging GenAI, to the practical development and evaluation of GenAI-powered tools in supporting learning.</p
Age polyethism can emerge from social learning:A game-theoretic investigation
No full textAge-polyethism—the age-based allocation of tasks in social insect colonies—is a key feature of division of labour. While its hormonal underpinnings have been studied extensively, the behavioural and environmental mechanisms driving age-polyethism remain poorly understood, especially under ecological stress. We present a novel modelling framework that integrates social learning with task-related environmental feedback to explain the emergence and breakdown of age-polyethism. We develop two models: a Social Learning (SL) model, in which individuals adapt task preferences by copying similar peers, and a Stimulus-Response Threshold Social Learning (SRT-SL) model, which extends this framework by incorporating task-related dynamic stimuli and response thresholds that regulate collective task demand. Our models demonstrate that age-polyethism can emerge from simple social imitation processes, without the need for fixed hormonal schedules. We show that under increasing environmental pressure (e.g., resource scarcity), age-polyethism collapses as younger individuals are forced into tasks typically handled by older workers. Importantly, we find that age-polyethism does not necessarily optimize immediate colony efficiency; instead, it appears to reflect a trade-off between environmental constraints and behavioural coordination. These findings provide a mechanistic and ecologically grounded explanation for empirical observations linking environmental stress to dysfunctional division of labour and colony collapse.</p
Material and waste reduction through industrialised building:A systematic and <i>meta</i>-analysis review
No full textDespite growing interest, the relative advantages of industrialised building (IB) over traditional building (TB) remain unclear in the literature. While some studies suggest that IB offers resource efficiency advantages, others show that it often results in increased material use and waste generation. This study contributes to clarifying this issue through a meta-analysis review, focusing on articles that use data from real projects that report clear scopes and system boundaries. This approach seeks to ensure the reliability and practical relevance of the findings, providing insights into the real-world performance of IB and TB, and the influence that different variables and factors can provide when comparing them. A total of 62 cases were extracted from database queries covering publications from 2008 to 2023. Material use and waste savings were examined across various dimensions, including country, building type, and specific construction products, systems and materials. The results show that, on average, IB methods have a negligible impact on material use (median 0.0 %) and a substantial waste reduction potential (median 36.5 %). Findings confirm that IB can enable significant waste reduction in various construction materials, particularly in the case of steel, timber and gypsum plastering, thus holding potential to minimise the environmental impacts of the industry. This study further argues the need for standardised reporting procedures in future case studies, including disclosure of IB typologies implemented, consistent use of functional units, and the inclusion of more life cycle stages.</p
The cross-section of stock returns around the world in the early twentieth century
No full textWe study nine equity markets between 1900 and 1925 to provide an out-of-sample test of some major asset pricing anomalies during a period in which anomalies had not been documented. We find strong evidence of momentum in almost every market. We find no evidence of long-term reversals, which, coupled with the limited presence of institutional investors, suggests that underreaction should be considered as a key aspect of behavioral theories of momentum. We also find evidence for the size effect, betting-against-beta, and the outperformance of low volatility stocks, whereas we find mixed evidence of short-term reversal.</p
What can teachers do to help young people exposed to traumatic events? Young peoples’ perspectives
No full textTrauma in childhood is highly prevalent and can significantly impact students’ social, emotional, behavioural, and learning outcomes. With a growing interest in trauma-informed education, limited research directly engages with young people’s views on how educators and schools can support students exposed to trauma. This qualitative study explored the perspectives of young people on what actions teachers should engage in, and also avoid, to support young people exposed to traumatic events. Responses from 159 young people collected via an anonymous survey were analysed using thematic analysis. Several important themes were highlighted, with an emphasis placed on teachers as a pathway to support, the importance of adapting curriculum and practices to meet students’ needs, and minimising behaviours that risk further harm or trauma. Participants stressed the importance of privacy and confidentiality, and the need for teachers to minimise behaviours that marginalise, exclude or perpetuate inequity, as these factors can discourage young people from seeking help. Implications from this study emphasise the need to incorporate young people’s perspectives when developing and implementing school trauma programs and policies. Further recommendations include the need for increased access to professional development in trauma-informed practices in education, along with resources to assist teachers in supporting young people exposed to trauma.</p
Sustainability transitions in corporations:the influence of the sustainable development goals on corporate financial performance
No full textScholarly, there is growing interest in corporations transitioning towards adopting SDGs. However, there is still a gap in understanding how the SDGs influence business performance and operations. Identifying various conditions under which governance through goal setting might have been effective and accelerating the transition to sustainability is essential. This study explores these questions through a case study of how Malaysian corporations’ financial performance has been connected with SDG 13. The study examines whether and in what ways implementing and voluntarily disclosing SDG 13 related information is associated with corporate financial performance. The findings suggest that adopting and disclosing SDG 13 is linked to improved corporate financial performance. Voluntary disclosure of sustainable-related information allows shareholders and the public to gain insight into corporate sustainability transitions. This reduces the information asymmetry gap between businesses and potential investors, which may increase investors' confidence. The positive correlation could encourage corporations to adopt more SDG goals. Investors who perceive improvement in firm performance may in turn call for deeper engagement with additionals. The paper concludes that conditions such as voluntary disclosure appear to support the sustainability transition of corporate actors by being associated with better performance outcomes.</p
Using dialogic multimodal feedback to enhance university EFL students’ writing:affordances for language learning styles
No full textIn the context of remarkable technological advancements, computer-assisted feedback, especially video feedback, has proved to yield significant merits in language skill development. However, little research has delved into the application of dialogic multimodal feedback (DMF) to cater to different learning styles, especially for EFL learners’ writing skill development. Hence, this mixed-method study was conducted to shed light on 1/ different stakeholders’ perceptions about the affordances of dialogic multimedia feedback, and 2/ how this feedback modality affects writing skill development of students with different learning styles. Three major data collection instruments, namely survey, follow-up interview, and teachers’ reflective journals, were used to collect in-depth data regarding learners’ and teachers’ perspectives about the use of this feedback modality. Data from qualitative sources were analyzed using thematic analysis, while SPSS was used to analyze quantitative data from the survey. The results reveal various perceived affordances of dialogic multimedia feedback, including technical (replay, transcript, reaction functions), pedagogical (multimodal feedback sources for different learning styles), and social (discussion function) affordances. Both students and teachers also have generally more positive comments about the impacts of dialogic multimedia feedback compared to conventional text feedback. Not only can DMF foster deeper understanding via multi-modalities of information, engage students with various learning style preferences, but it can also alleviate workload for teachers if it is designed properly. Moreover, the interactivity function empowers more students to ask questions and reflect on teachers’ feedback, shifting feedback from the conventional passive monologic practice to two-way co-construction of knowledge. Notably, different learners may perceive and act upon the available affordances in different ways, attributing to different perceived impacts on writing skill