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EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF DIGITAL COMPETENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTANCE ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND SPORTS SCIENCE STUDENTS
No full textAim/Purpose This study aims to examine the influence of digital competences, technology acceptance, and individual factors (gender and educational level) on academic achievement in Physical Education and Sports Science (PESS). Background Prior research has established a positive correlation between digital competences and performance, but the mediating role of technology acceptance remains unclear. Furthermore, there is no evidence in the literature about this relationship among students pursuing degrees in PESS. Methodology A survey was administered to 344 students pursuing degrees in PESS. The Students’ Digital Competence Scale (SDiCoS) measured digital competences, while the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) assessed technology acceptance. Academic performance was evaluated based on students’ GPAs. Contribution This paper investigated the role of digital competence within the TAM framework and its influence on academic performance. We propose that digital competence variables positively impact students’ intention to use digital tools for learning. This aligns with TAM principles, where intention and attitude toward technology predict its actual use. Our findings further strengthen the understanding of TAM by confirming strong connections between perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and attitude toward technology. Additionally, the study suggests that digital competence and frequent device usage patterns might be more prevalent in postgraduate education. Findings The investigation supports the link between digital competences and technology acceptance in PESS students. Specifically, TAM variables, particularly attitudes and intentions regarding technology use, significantly predicted these students’ academic performance. Interestingly, no direct association was found between SDiCoS digital competences and academic performance. Digital competence variables were positively associated with students’ intention to use digital tools for learning. Gender differences emerged, with females reporting higher academic performance and proficiency in Communicate, Collaborate, and Share (CCS) competences. Furthermore, postgraduate students reported digital competences, higher academic performance, stronger intentions to use technology, and more frequent utilization of laptops/tablets. Recommendations for Practitioners Educators, administrators, and policymakers should consider targeted interventions and curriculum development to enhance academic performance in the fields of physical education and sports science. Specifically, strategies should focus on fostering digital competences in areas relevant to the field while addressing gender-specific needs. Recommendations for Researchers Future research should further explore the nuanced relationship between digital competences, technology acceptance, and academic performance, with a focus on refining the predictive efficacy of TAM variables and examining the role of individual factors, such as motivation and self-efficacy. Impact on Society The findings have implications for improving academic outcomes in PESS, ultimately contributing to the development of a highly skilled and technology-literate workforce in this field. Future Research Future research should examine the specific mechanisms through which digital competences and technology acceptance influence academic performance to develop effective interventions and strategies.2301
Exploring Digital Stress of Finnish Adolescents and Their Parents
No full textBackground/Objectives: The way people communicate has significantly changed due to technological advances and penetration of cell phones and broadband connection into everyday activities. Nowadays, individuals are constantly connected through the Internet. This influences social experiences, self and social identity, and can cause digital stress, which often leads to negative emotions, psychosomatic outcomes, and diseases. It is a matter of concern for the adolescents and their families. This paper investigates how Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and social media influence adolescents’ and parents’ digital stress and anxiety. Methods: Based on two digital stressors scales, a 30-item questionnaire was created. A quantitative analysis of data deriving from 164 Finnish adolescents and 53 of their parents regarding digital stress was conducted. Results: “Privacy Intrusion”, “Availability stress/Online vigilance”, and “Usefulness” were the most essential stressor factors for both students and parents. Additionally, the most significant stressor factors for students were the “Fear of Missing Out/FoMO” and “Approval Anxiety” factors while for parents were the “Safety/Security” and “Technical Support” factors. No significant differences were observed between the overall digital stress of adolescents and parents. In contrast to the existing literature, no connection between “Connection (Information) Overload” and digital stress was found. Conclusions: This paper contributes to debates regarding the effects of the use of digital resources, ICTs, and social media on processes at school, at work, and at home. The findings of our study confirm and further validate those of previous studies with the exception of “Connection (Information) Overload”, which needs to be further investigated to understand the reasons behind it.1112147
Comparing Emergency Remote Learning with Traditional Learning in Primary Education: Primary School Student Perspectives
No full textThis study aims to explore primary school students’ perspectives of emergency remote teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and their preferences when comparing it with face-to-face learning. Data from 114 Greek primary students showed that students did not find online learning particularly intriguing, enjoyable, and interactive and felt social isolation due to the lack of communication and interactions. Most students preferred traditional learning to online learning as they found it more enjoyable and interactive, and made it easier to learn, focus on, comprehend, and perform better. They greatly valued the class atmosphere and the ability to actively participate and freely communicate, and stated that it was easier to devote time to studying, complete their assignments, and get answers to their question when learning in person. Students believed that despite its disadvantages, online learning might be more broadly used in the future. Finally, no significant differences were found regarding students’ gender, age, and class level.6
Labour reallocation and unemployment fluctuations: A tale of two tails
No full textThis paper examines the sectoral shifts hypothesis for the US regional labour market using a quantile panel framework. We use a monthly panel dataset that spans over 1990–2016 for the 48 US states and employ a dynamic quantile panel data regression approach to investigate the asymmetric nature of the relationship between sectoral labour reallocation and unemployment fluctuations. The empirical evidence suggests that the impact of the employment dispersion index is relatively small and insignificant for lower levels of unemployment but becomes positive and highly significant for higher rates. Our findings bear out the asymmetry of reallocation disturbances for the US labour market.2933444346
Corporate Social Responsibility and Consumer Behavior in Sports: Exploring and Adapting a Participatory Sports Scale
No full textThere has been a noticeable shift towards sustainability in participatory sport, emphasizing practices such as corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. However, a credible international evaluation tool for assessing the effectiveness of CSR initiatives in sport and recreation services is lacking. This study aimed to adapt and validate a CSR questionnaire for Greek participatory sport, focusing on tennis. The influence of CSR on consumer trust and loyalty was also investigated. A sample of 250 tennis players from a private club in a Greek city participated. A questionnaire assessing CSR in environmental, economic, and social dimensions, was selected after an extensive literature review. Statistical analyses confirmed the questionnaire as a valid and reliable tool for assessing CSR among recreational sports participants. The results indicated that CSR initiatives significantly enhance participants’ trust in the club, which in turn bolsters the club’s credibility. However, CSR initiatives do not directly influence participants’ loyalty; instead, trust mediates the relationship between CSR and loyalty. This underscores the need to strategize on how to convert trust into sustained loyalty. The findings highlight the importance of CSR in building trust, protecting corporate reputation in times of crisis, and supporting long-term sustainability. They provide valuable insights for researchers and sport and recreation managers.1614582
Training HE Educators to Upskill Students’ Basic Digital Skills for Labor Market Demands: The “ECCE Teachers’ Training Model”
No full textThe recent pandemic exposed a significant issue within higher education: many teachers were compelled to shift their work to online formats but they were not adequately prepared for digital environments. This lack of digital readiness led to numerous unsuccessful attempts to adapt to this situation, resulting in increased teachers’ workload and stress. Moreover, this problem highlighted a systemic flaw: if teachers are not digitally proficient, they cannot effectively teach vital digital skills to their students, which are essential in today’s job market. Our research identified the significant need to help higher education (HE) students develop digital skills to prepare them better for the future workforce. This should become a priority for universities worldwide. But how easy this process can be and how can HE educators achieve this goal? To that end, this paper proposes the “ECCE Teachers’ Training Model” which stands for “Explore-Create-Communicate-Evaluate” and aims to guide HE teachers on how to integrate digital skills in their courses’ content and teaching practice. It was developed based on a comprehensive literature review and two pilot programs conducted during the academic year 2023–24, one in Greece and one in Portugal, to test the model’s validity. The proposed model is a 4-step Training Model that includes four different phases: 1) “Exploratory phase”; 2) “Creation phase”; 3) “Community phase”, and 4) “Evaluation phase” and it is complemented by a set of “Content and Digital Skills Integrated” (CoDiS) Lesson Plans. Both the model and the “CoDiS Lesson Plans” primarily intend to guide Higher Education (HE) teachers in enhancing their students’ basic digital skills for the digital job market by transforming their traditional lesson plans into innovative digital lesson plans. By integrating interactive digital activities that cover specific digital topics, teachers can enhance students’ digital skills in parallel with the academic subjects they teach. This paper presents first the theoretical philosophy behind the design of the “ECCE Teachers’ Training Model”, its four phases as well as the tools and resources used, the five (5) thematic areas of digital skills to which HE students were introduced during the pilot courses, the “CoDiS Lesson Plans” and the first pilots’ results. The lesson plans that have been applied in different educational settings provided us with valuable feedback for the effective implementation of the proposed teachers’ training model.2247 CCIS116Digital Transformation in Higher Education: Empowering Teachers and Students for Tomorrow’s Challenge
Evaluating CNI Plugins Features & Tradeoffs for Edge Cloud Applications
No full textKubernetes (K8s) has become the cornerstone solution for orchestrating containerized applications across cloud-edge computing environments. Container Network Interface (CNI) plugins are crucial in this ecosystem, enabling network connectivity among K8s components, supporting advanced features and facilitating robust network management across diverse environments, such as centralized cloud or decentralized edge locations. In this paper, we extend our previous work, focusing on the various features, either built-in or non-native, provided within each networking solution and across diverse resource-intense and lightweight K8s distributions. Along these lines, tunneling options, security and encryption mechanisms, as well as common service mesh and observability tools have been evaluated with regards to their performance and resource utilization.162024 IEEE Symposium on Computers and Communications (ISCC
Exploring the Relations Between the Information System Success Model and Trust in E-Government in the Greek Public Sector During the Pandemic: An Empirical Research
No full textThis research attempt is an empirical attempt at the previously proposed research model discussed in the paper entitled “Trust in e-government and successful information management in the public sector during a pandemic: proposing an extended framework.” Thus, the purpose of this chapter is to investigate and identify whether certain factors from DeLone and McLean’s Information System (IS) model (2003) (such as the quality of the information, the quality of the services, the quality of the system, the actual use made of e-government (online state services), the user satisfaction with e-government, and the trust in e-government) are related to the factor trust in e-government. Also, this research aims to test the IS model in the Greek public sector during the pandemic. This research was conducted with the help of a structured questionnaire on a sample of Greek citizens who use e-government. According to the results of the research, the main conclusion of the study is that there is a strong and positive acceptance of e-government on the part of citizens as a means of a new digital state that provides quality information, quality services, and user satisfaction.627648Computational and Strategic Business Modellin
A European Project on AI-based Robotics
No full textWe introduce the project Artificial Intelligence based Robotics (AiRobo), a partnership of universities from France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, and Romania. AiRobo's aim is to significantly raise the level of competence and skills of academic staff in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) based robotics, thereby also increasing the attractivity and reputation of the related departments at the partner universities. We further address the European priority in national contexts regarding inclusion in higher education, covering social inclusion and outreach to people with less opportunities, e.g. people with disabilities or with migrant background. The project partners will collaboratively write a comprehensive book on AI-based robotics, provide tools and video tutorials to support the construction and analysis of robotic systems, develop robotic applications in various fields of high interest to the industry, implement trainings for academic staff of the partners, organize an international summer school and an international conference, and disseminate the project results through various channels.The outcomes of the project will include the training of 25 academic staff from partner universities in teaching AI-based robotic courses, a comprehensive set of teaching materials including the above-mentioned book, 7 robotic applications in different fields, tools and video tutorials, as well as scientific publications.172024 IEEE International Conference on Teaching, Assessment and Learning for Engineering (TALE
EFQM in vocational education – teacher and student perspectives
No full textPurpose
Stakeholder satisfaction relates closely to service quality and performance of educational organizations. Often, this relationship is addressed in literature through the lens of excellence models, such as the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) model. Nevertheless, limited studies focus on the effect of the EFQM model enablers on stakeholder satisfaction and hardly any in vocational education. To fill this void, the aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between EFQM enablers (leadership, human resources, processes) and stakeholder satisfaction under the different perspectives of teachers and students in Greek public vocational education.
Design/methodology/approach
To address the research purpose, the authors used the case study methodology. The authors used mixed research methods, the focus group method and survey. Specifically, the focus group method used to distill the EFQM enablers related to the Greek context and to develop a questionnaire administered to teachers and students of a vocational education school. From September 2021 to June 2022, 90 teachers and 216 students participated in the survey.
Findings
The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method was used for data analysis, indicating that leadership and human resources have a positive and significant relationship with the satisfaction of both students and teachers. However, results did not corroborate the relationship between processes and stakeholder satisfaction either from the student’s or the teacher’s perspective.
Originality/value
This paper fills a gap in existing literature by exploring the impact of EFQM enablers on stakeholder satisfaction in vocational education and training (VET), from the perspectives of both teachers and students. The findings assist VET institutions in prioritizing areas for improvement and help companies to develop strategies that consider key stakeholders' needs.1122223