Institutional Repository of Academic Research University of Macedonia
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Brain gain: An investigation of the factors influencing the intention of repatriation of Greek doctors from Germany to Greece.
No full textΣΚΟΠΟΣ Διερεύνηση της πρόθεσης επαναπατρισμού των Ελλήνων ιατρών
(brain gain) που εργάζονται στη Γερμανία, καθώς και των παραγόντων που την
επηρεάζουν. ΥΛΙΚΟ-ΜΕΘΟΔΟΣ Στην έρευνα συμμετείχαν 152 Έλληνες ιατροί
που εργάζονται στο γερμανικό σύστημα υγείας, οι οποίοι κλήθηκαν να απαντήσουν σε ειδικά διαμορφωμένο ερωτηματολόγιο με απαντητικές κλίμακες
τύπου Likert, το οποίο κατασκευάστηκε σε Google Forms και αναρτήθηκε
στο διαδίκτυο. ΑΠΟΤΕΛΕΣΜΑΤΑ Σύμφωνα με τα ερευνητικά αποτελέσματα,
αρχικά διαπιστώθηκε ότι η πρόθεση επαναπατρισμού των Ελλήνων ιατρών
ήταν περιορισμένη (μέσος όρος: 2,93). Επίσης, βρέθηκε ότι αυξημένη πρόθεση επαναπατρισμού συνδυαζόταν με μειωμένη εργασιακή ενσωμάτωση,
ενσωμάτωση στην κοινότητα, ικανοποίηση από τη χώρα φιλοξενίας, αυξημένη
ενθάρρυνση επιστροφής από την οικογένεια, καθώς και αντιληπτή εθνική
ταυτότητα. Τέλος, καταγράφηκε ότι ένας συνδυασμός σημαντικών παραγόντων
έλξης στη χώρα διαμονής και περιορισμένων παραγόντων έλξης στη χώρα
προέλευσης (ή, εναλλακτικά, παραγόντων ώθησης από τη χώρα διαμονής)
οδηγεί σε μείωση της πρόθεσης επαναπατρισμού. ΣΥΜΠΕΡΑΣΜΑΤΑ Το brain
gain συνιστά ένα πολυπαραγοντικό φαινόμενο, το οποίο εξαρτάται από την
αλληλεπίδραση πολυάριθμων παραγόντων και μπορεί να είναι πολυπλοκότερο
του brain drain. Περαιτέρω μελέτες απαιτούνται για την καλύτερη κατανόηση
του φαινομένου του αντίστροφου ιατρικού brain drain, δεδομένης της πολυπαραγοντικής φύσης του και της έλλειψης επαρκών εμπειρικών δεδομένων.40225425
Factors affecting teachers’ transfer of ICT training: Considering usefulness and satisfaction in a PLS-SEM transfer training model
No full textThe success of the teachers’ trainers’ transfer of training can be affected by several factors like teaching self-efficacy, motivation to learn and transfer, and intention to transfer the gained skills and knowledge. This study seeks to analyze the structural relationships among the above-mentioned constructs by integrating the constructs of perceived usefulness and satisfaction of the ICT training programme. The analysis is conducted on quantitative data collected from 117 teacher educators participating in a national programme on “Teachers training on the use and application of digital technologies in the teaching practice” in Greece. Results of the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) revealed that perceived usefulness and satisfaction of the training programme had a significant positive effect on the teachers’ self-efficacy and intention to transfer the gained ICT training knowledge and skills. Also, pre-training and post-training self-efficacy exerted a direct influence on the teachers’ intention to transfer, motivation to transfer, and motivation to learn. The potential contribution and practical implications in the field of adult education and teachers’ continuing professional development are discussed in the paper.2918610
Students’ views on telepresence robots in education
No full textTo successfully introduce Telepresence Robots (TRs)in education, the students’ viewpoints should be taken into consideration. Partners of the Erasmus+ project “TRinE: Telepresence Robots in Education”conducted interviews and focus groups discussions with 25 students across Germany, Greece, Iceland, and Malta. Students praised the mobility and ease-of-use of TRs as well as the feeling of presence while attending classes from a distance. However, they criticized TRs’lack of hands-like actuators, high cost, limited maneuverability, limited battery life, andpoor sound quality. In addition, the educational institutes’ buildings pose obstacles (e.g., stairs, elevators, and poor Wi-Fi connectivity) to the smooth movement of TRs. Furthermore, using TRs may cause less face-to-face interaction, attention disruption, and privacy issues. Finally, students made several proposals to TRs’ manufacturers such as creating TRs with hands, alarms, and better sound quality as well as to educational institutes such as appropriate TRsmanagement policies442449ICT in Educatio
Income Inequality, Economic Freedom, and Economic Growth in Greece: A Multivariate Analysis
No full textThis empirical research applies the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) econometric technique to investigate the long- and short-run effects of economic growth and economic freedom on income inequality in Greece between 1980 and 2019. This study advances previous empirical studies by incorporating two auxiliary variables into the aforementioned nexus: population growth and tertiary educational attainment. Considering our findings, it is envisaged that Greek policymakers should consider economic freedom as an important long-term goal when contemplating policies aimed at reducing income inequality. In the short term, however, economic growth appears more effective than economic freedom in promoting income equality. Finally, the two demographic variables, population and educational attainment, emerged as critical determinants in promoting income equality.485503Advances in Empirical Economic Researc
The Effects of Herding on Betas and Idiosyncratic Risk
No full textThis paper investigates the consequences of herding on systematic and idiosyncratic risk for stocks traded on S&P 500. Herding behavior is measured through a state-space model. Using monthly data from 1999 to 2017, different periods of herding and adverse herding are present. Evidence shows that the state space model identifies the significant herding effects on both risk measures for specific portfolios. Our findings validate the expected implications of herding on betas but not of adverse herding. In addition, the low-beta anomaly is not confirmed on our beta-based portfolios. On the other hand, we confirm the risk-return relationship. We attribute this evidence to overpriced values of high beta assets as well as to the effects of adverse herding on the systematic and idiosyncratic risk. Finally, we also show that the herding level could serve as a systematic driver of returns improving the portfolio performance of traditional ‘anomaly’ based strategies.24213114
Elementium: design and pilot evaluation of a serious game for familiarizing players with basic chemistry
No full textSerious games (SGs) about Chemistry have the potential to cope with challenges, such as students’ low performance and lack of motivation for the subject. However, the majority of existing SGs for Chemistry have the form of educational applications infused with some elements of entertaining games. The aim of the study presented was to design and evaluate a new SG with rich game mechanics for Chemistry. The game is called Elementium and revolves around basic topics of Chemistry, such as chemical elements and compound terminology, creation and everyday usage of such elements. The main goal of the game is to familiarize junior high school students with the aforementioned subjects. The design of Elementium was carried out implementing the dimensions described in the Four-Dimensional framework, as proposed by de Freitas and Jarvis in 2006. After the development process, Elementium was evaluated by people in the field of education that are currently teaching or have taught Chemistry in the past. The participants play-tested the game at leisure in their homes and evaluated it based on the key criteria for SGs design proposed by Sanchez in 2011, as well as other quality indicators established in the literature. Elementium was positively evaluated by Chemistry teachers in terms of its acceptance, usability, didactic utility, and game environment. The positive results concluded from this evaluation show that Elementium is fulfilling its main purpose and can be used as a supplementary tool in the teaching process. However, its true didactical effectiveness has to be confirmed through a study with high school students.2811147211474
Financial development, economic growth and the role of fiscal policy during normal and stress times: Evidence for 26 EU countries
No full textThis article empirically explores the finance-growth relationship and the performance of the financial system measured by financial depth, accessibility, and efficiency of both financial sectors, that is, institutions and stock markets. It also examines the role of fiscal policy in conjunction with the performance of financial development during both normal and stress times. The data consists of a panel of 26 European Union countries over the period 1990–2020. The results show that during normal times, the finance-led growth relationship and the stock market are greatly important, while during stress times the relationship becomes insignificant. Interestingly, financial institutions are found to be more effective at promoting growth and there is clear evidence that a potentially dynamic positive effect of institutions to growth is absorbed by macroeconomic shocks. In addition, there is evidence for a threshold at a lower level compared to those previously identified in the literature. This latter finding can be attributed to different measures of financial institutions used and the impact of macroeconomic shocks. The inability of both financial sectors to enhance economic activity seems to exhibit persistence from the occurrence of the global financial crisis until the onset of the recent Covid-19 pandemic.12
Prospective ICT Teachers’ Perceptions on the Didactic Utility and Player Experience of a Serious Game for Safe Internet Use and Digital Intelligence Competencies
No full textNowadays, young students spend a lot of time playing video games and browsing on the Internet. Using the Internet has become even more widespread for young students due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, which resulted in transferring several educational activities online. The Internet and generally the digital world that we live in offers many possibilities in our everyday lives, but it also entails dangers such as cyber threats and unethical use of personal data. It is widely accepted that everyone, especially young students, should be educated on safe Internet use and should be supported on acquiring other Digital Intelligence (DI) competencies as well. Towards this goal, we present the design and evaluation of the game "Follow the Paws" that aims to educate primary school students on safe Internet use and support them in acquiring relevant DI competencies. The game was designed taking into account relevant literature and was evaluated by 213 prospective Information and Communication Technology (ICT) teachers. The participants playtested the game and evaluated it through an online questionnaire that was based on validated instruments proposed in the literature. The participants evaluated positively to the didactic utility of the game and the anticipated player experience, while they highlighted several improvements to be taken into consideration in a future revision of the game. Based on the results, proposals for further research are presented, including DI competencies detection through the game and evaluating its actual effectiveness in the classroom.121019
Teleo-Reactive Agents in a Simulation Platform
No full textAgent based modeling and simulation (ABMS) has been applied to a number of research areas includingeconomics, social sciences, urban planning, epidemiology etc. with significant success. Agent simulationplatforms have long been the principal tool, contributing to the wide adoption of ABMS, offering rapid modeldevelopment for researchers in various fields. However, in most of the cases, agent behaviour in simulationsis encoded employing standard or domain specific programming languages, with limited support for agentprogramming at a higher level. The present work contributes towards this direction, presenting an implementation of the Teleo-Reactive approach proposed by Nilsson for robotic control, to a well known ABMSplatform, NetLogo. The aim is to allow modelers to encode complex agent models easily and thus to enhancethe impact of ABMS to the respective fields.2636Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Agents and Artificial Intelligence (ICAART 2023
The inter-familiar issues of Greek parents facing childhood cancer
No full textCancer as a whole, but especially childhood cancer, creates a number of psychological, social, and family problems as well as practical and financial issues, which every parent is called upon to solve. This study focuses on childhood cancer and aims at a thorough analysis of the physical/organic, psychological, and social problems associated with the parents and relatives of a child with cancer. The special element in pediatric neoplasms is not only the vulnerable population target group, but also the set of secondary effects it has on the environment of the sick child. The research was conducted on a sample of 133 families of children with cancer, and the results were displayed after statistical processing and data analysis with R statistical software. The results of the study confirm with statistically significant data the effect of childhood cancer on the physical, mental, and social health and behavior of the parent. Thus, 53.8% of the respondents stated 5 and above on the 7-point Likert scale for fatigue issues, 55.6% for sleep disorders, 78.1% for stress, and 82.7% for fear. The key findings are characterized by high specificity as it is a unique study that reveals particular aspects of the Greek parent's behavior, mind, and body during the period of their child's illness. Conclusion: The effects of childhood illnesses, particularly when they are severe, such as neoplasms, present a looming threat, ushering in a multitude of adverse alterations in the daily lives of the affected child's family. What is Known - What is New: • We know the effects that a childhood illness brings not only to the sick child, but also to the entire family circle. The new element in the present research is that these data reflect the situation in Greece, for which the research data in this area is quite limited. Our research is one of the few studies that demonstrate with statistical data the change in the psychosomatic health of the parent who has a child with cancer