5112 research outputs found
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Avatars of influence:understanding how virtual influencers trigger consumer engagement on online booking platforms
No full textGiven the existing gaps and the widespread popularity of virtual influencers, this study develops and applies a paradigm based on social influence theory to probe the effect of virtual influencers on consumers' behavioral engagement. We explore the effect of virtual influencers on consumers' normative and informational social influence, which, in turn, affects their behavioral engagement. We also investigate the relationships between virtual influencers and normative and informational social influences, using perceived interactivity and source credibility as boundary conditions. Through stratified sampling, we collected 443 responses from consumers in the hospitality industry. Structural equation modeling was utilized in AMOS 26.0 for analysis. The findings exhibit a positive association between virtual influencers and both informational and normative social influence, as well as behavioral engagement. Furthermore, this study confirms that customers' normative and informational social influence positively causes behavioral engagement. The significance of both boundary conditions is further highlighted by this research. This work improves theoretical knowledge in social impact, trust, and engagement, with implications for developing marketing strategies on online platforms. Additionally, we acknowledge limitations and offer suggestions for future studies.</p
The betrayal puzzle:unraveling the connection between inauthenticity, corporate wrongdoing and brand betrayal with avoidance and reparation
No full textBased on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S–O-R) theory and attachment theory, this study investigates the proposed conceptual model of corporate wrongdoing and brand inauthenticity to elucidate individual responses. In this framework, stimuli show brand inauthenticity and corporate wrongdoing, prompting negative cognitive and emotional responses among individuals. These responses, affected by customers' attachment to the brand, are the organisms in the SOR model. Attachment theory advocates that customers form emotional bonds with brands akin to human relationships. Perceived brand betrayal, an emotional response, is a critical organism in this conceptual framework, curtailing the heresy of customers' attachment to the brand. This brand betrayal perception catalyzes brand avoidance and demand for reparation. Data were collected from Chinese consumers of luxury fashion brands and tested proposed relationships using PLS-SEM in PLS-Smart 4.0. The findings showed that brand inauthenticity and corporate wrongdoing positively predict perceived brand betrayal, significantly leading to brand avoidance and demand for reparation. Overall, the SOR model, mutual with the lens of attachment theory, sheds light on the complex dynamics of customer responses to brand inauthenticity and corporate wrongdoing, illuminating the process of brand avoidance and the subsequent call for reparation. This study contributes to the theory and practice.</p
Acculturation and immigrant African adolescents’ experiences of education in the diaspora
No full textEven though adolescents face challenges in adapting to the new environment in the diaspora, a lot of research focuses on adults, and the other partly deals with children left behind in heritage countries. Very minimal research focuses on children and adolescents in the diaspora, especially regarding the challenges they face in their psychosocial life and academic pursuits. This chapter adopted a qualitative research paradigm to investigate the acculturation experiences affecting adolescents’ psychological and academic life both within the African and European contexts, in particular, Zimbabwean adolescents in the African diaspora, in Botswana and African adolescents in the European diaspora, in the United Kingdom. Findings show that adolescents in both the African and European diaspora suffer varied acculturation challenges which negatively impact their psychosocial and academic life in several ways
Was 2021-22 an Annus Horribilis for teacher educators?:reflections on a survey of teacher educators
No full textThe COVID pandemic temporarily altered the functioning of all sections of society. In England, it led to major disruption in the teacher education sector leading to curtailed training in schools and a rapid shift to alternative approaches to teaching and learning. By the 2021-2022 academic year, it was hoped that activity would return to a level of normalcy. However, the continued hangover of the pandemic together with the return of Ofsted programme inspections and a decision by the UK Government to instigate an accreditation process for all English initial teacher education programmes, required to allow institutions to continue offering initial teacher education beyond 2024, all combined to create the potential for a very difficult year.We surveyed 159 teacher educators to capture reflections of their experiences form the 2021-22 academic year, understanding their perceptions through the lens of the Job Demands-Resources Model (Demerouti et al., 2001) which identifies those factors which may lead to stress and burnout in the work environment (demands) and those which balance against this and offer emotional well-being (resources). The results show a number of high demands over the course of the year, especially related to accreditation and Ofsted pressures, and the extra demands made by the overhang of the pandemic, all factors leading to increased workload. Counteracting these demands are the resources present, particularly the support between colleagues and a strong commitment and enjoyment gained form working with student teachers. However, the long term sustainability of the role of teacher educator is in question
Integrating mental health into climate change education to inspire climate action while safeguarding mental health
No full textClimate change is the greatest threat humanity faces, and puts at risk the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. Climate change education must equip children and young people with the knowledge, skills and resilience to live in an uncertain future, sustainably take relevant climate action and work in climate careers. As attention on climate change education grows, this is a critical moment for the mental health community to ensure mental health and wellbeing considerations are embedded. Critically, appropriate integration of mental health can enable these very necessary goals of equipping children and young people to live and work in a future where climate change looms large. This paper explores why promoting good mental health and wellbeing and building psychological resilience can help achieve climate change education outcomes, and why not doing so risks harming children and young people’s mental health. It also explores how integrating discussions about emotions, mental health, and coping strategies within climate change education can be a route into wider discussions about mental health, to support children and young people in the context of rising mental health needs. Learning from an existing approach to promoting good mental health and wellbeing in schools (the ‘whole school approach’) provides the opportunity to explore one avenue through which such an integrated approach could be implemented in practice. Identifying appropriate mechanisms to integrate mental health into climate change education will require co-design and research with educators and young people, and addressing systemic barriers facing the schools sector
Emotional dimensions of AI in education:understanding and leveraging human-AI interactions
No full textThe ongoing integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) within higher education (HE) signifies a pivotal shift in pedagogical paradigms, demanding comprehensive theoretical and practical considerations. This paper critically examines the multifaceted adoption of GenAI in HE by reviewing interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks from psychology, computer science, and pedagogy. It highlights the insufficiency of traditional technology acceptance models, which predominantly address cognitive and rational decision-making processes, and advocates for the inclusion of emotional and ethical dimensions often overlooked in existing frameworks. By synthesizing research across various disciplines, this review identifies significant gaps and proposes an integrated theoretical model to effectively understand and guide GenAI adoption. The proposed framework emphasizes the need for robust, empirically supported methodologies that accommodate the complex, dynamic nature of GenAI applications. This paper not only contributes to academic discourse by providing a comprehensive review of existing literature but also sets a foundation for future empirical studies aimed at refining GenAI integration strategies in HE, ensuring they are ethically aligned and educationally effectiv
Social phobia and affective, behavioral and cognitive experiences of stuttering
No full textThe current study recorded prevalence of social phobia (SP) in adults who stutter (AWS) and examined relationships between affective, behavioral and cognitive (ABC) experiences of stuttering and SP. Forty-one participants met thresholds for social anxiety disorder. A model containing all ABC experiences of stuttering positively predicted levels of SP. Individual factors, including situation-specific speaking-related anxiety and communication attitude, positively predicted SP. One’s indications of situation-speech disruption had a negative predictiverelationship with SP, while AWS’ engagement in behaviors of avoidance/escape from stuttering did not significantly predict social anxiety
Skeletal Loading: Lean and Bone Mass Development in Young Elite Male Gymnasts, Swimmers, and Nonathletes Aged 6–24 Years:lean and bone mass development in young elite male gymnasts, swimmers and non-athletes aged 6 to 24 years
Get PDFBackground: Exercise optimises peak bone mass accrual, particularly if the loading is high magnitude and distributed in abnormal directions. Little is known about the influence of early intense training in sport during peak bone mass (PBM) accrual, especially in boys. Methods: Ninety-eight males aged 6 - 24y: (gymnasts, swimmers, controls) completed the bone-specific physical activity questionnaire (BPAQ) and a 7 day exercise diary. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry determined bone mineral properties of the total body (less head, TBLH) and lumbar spine (LS, L1-L4), and total lean mass. Sub-group analyses were conducted for juniors (pre-pubescent), adolescents (11- 16 y) and seniors (17-24 y). Results: Lean mass was positively associated with TBLH and LS bone outcomes in all three age groups (R2= 0.632 - 0.770, p < 0.05) and BPAQ scores were associated with LS BMD in adolescents and seniors (R2 = 0.440 and 0.591, p < 0.05). Senior gymnasts had significantly higher LS BMD (g.cm2) and Z-scores than swimmers (p = 0.004) and controls (p = 0.012).Conclusions: Elite gymnastics is associated with superior peak bone mass accrual in young males. The benefits appear more pronounced during young adulthood compared to pre-puberty, potentially reflecting an extended time course for bone adaptation.<br/
Convergence of sustainability reporting standards for sustainable development:are salient institutions obliging?
No full textThis chapter examines the process and intricacies surrounding the convergence of sustainability reporting standards for sustainability and the role of salient institutions in facilitating this process. Further, it delves deeply into the concern and question of whether the salient institutions are indeed beneficial in achieving sustainability reporting standards convergence. Thus, this chapter employs a stakeholder salience model (SSM) and qualitative content analysis to categorise the salient institutions and how they contribute to the process of sustainability reporting standards convergence and its implications for sustainable development. Consequently, the chapter sheds light on the perspectives of the influential international institutions in achieving harmonised sustainability reporting standards and sustainable development. Particularly, the study reveals a self-centered approach among the influential international institutions, driven by political and profit motives, influenced by a lack of understanding of the true essence of ‘sustainability’. The chapter also highlights areas that require further research. <br/
First contacts and third encounters
No full textAlien visits to Earth, whether as invading forces arriving on green streaks from Mars or snapping up singers for intergalactic song contests, have long been a staple of science fiction. Our panel will discuss their favourite extraterrestrial visitors, what brings aliens to Earth, and how writers use these ideas as commentaries on the world