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The acceptance of artificial intelligence in Performance Evaluation and Training Development: Analysis of Influencing from the Perspective of Employees
No full textWith the widespread application of artificial intelligence (AI) in human resources (HR), its use in key areas such as performance management (PM) and training and development (TD) has been increasing. However, research on the differences in employees' acceptance in different application scenarios and its influencing factors is still relatively limited. This study, from the perspective of employees, comparatively analyses the differences in acceptance between the PM and TD scenarios and explores the key factors influencing their acceptance. The research adopted a quantitative research methodology, a total of 89 valid samples were collected from employed participants through a questionnaire survey, and statistical analysis methods were employed to analyses the data and present the results. The research results show that employees' acceptance of both scenarios is at a relatively high level, with the acceptance of TD slightly higher than that of PM. The key factors influencing acceptance also vary in different scenarios. In PM scenario, perceived efficiency is the strongest influencing factor, and the lack of interpersonal communication has a positive impact on acceptance. In TD, company support and transparent recommendations are key influencing factors. The findings of this study enrich the research application of AI technology acceptance models in the HR field and provide practical references for enterprises to introduce AI in different HR scenarios
Inclusion of neurodivergent employees in small-to-medium sized enterprises in Ireland: A qualitative research study from the perspective of HR managers
No full textBackground and Aims: Neurodiversity is an important part of organisational diversity, but it is often overlooked in wider DE&I (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) efforts because many neurodiverse conditions are not visible and sometimes it is misunderstood with disability. Neurodiversity in the workplace offers valuable insights into workplace practices, providing useful guidance for both employers and neurodivergent individuals (RICKE, 2025). Literature reveal several barriers and approaches that employers may take for inclusion of neurodivergent employees (Hutson & Hutson, 2023) (Ali, et al., 2024) (Antony, et al., 2024) (Hays-Thomas, 2022), however, there remains a need for more in-depth research focused specifically within Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Ireland. Moreover, previous studies are focused broadly on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or even neurodiversity from the perspective of neurodivergent individuals (Albright, et al., 2020) (Hargreaves, et al., 2022). This study specifically examines the perspective of Human Resource (HR) managers within SMEs in Ireland on the topic of inclusion of neurodivergent employees within SMEs.
Method: A qualitative thematic method was used (Braun & Clarke, 2006), with semi-structured interviews of six Human Resources (HR) managers holding experience in recruitment, training and employee management within SMEs in Ireland. The participants were identified through convenience and snowball sampling. A thematic analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word.
Result: Four key themes emerged from the data: (i) Perceived gap between organisational awareness of neurodiversity and actions to increase inclusion of neurodivergent employees, (ii) Organisational and systematic barriers, (iii) Organisational culture and leadership support, and (iv) Human Resources and organisation interventions.
Conclusion: Result indicates that while HR managers recognise several benefits towards inclusion of neurodivergent individuals within workplace, there are some barriers that limits SMEs to include neurodivergent individuals within the workplace. However, it is also observed that these barriers can be addressed through education, awareness, fostering inclusive work culture and organisations strategic intervention
The Rise of Digital Marketing in the Era of Mobile-Driven Digitalization: Shifts from Traditional to Interactive Advertising
No full textThe research reviews the role of social media algorithms when recruiting influencers or making the marketing process more effective, with special regard to the content of short-format videos on YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram Reels. With the algorithmic visibility theory, parasocial relationship theory, and the consumer trust theory, the research examines the algorithmic aspects of platform-specific factors on engagement rates and brand outcomes, including frequency of posting, emotionality, and shareability. It was a quantitative study, and secondary data of potential influencers and brands on three platforms were analysed and compared using descriptive statistics, correlation, and tests to unpack short-form and conventional marketing formats. The results showed that short-form content that is optimized to suit algorithms is always more successful than the typical influencer marketing average in reach ( +37 percent), CTR, engagement on every 1,000 views ( +22 points), and conversions (+26 percent). Most profitable improvement after the campaigns was made by brands in visually centred industries, specially fashion and cosmetics ones, and cross-platform strategies could enhance the introduction impact even more. In contrast to the widespread industry beliefs, metadata optimization, including superfluous usage of hashtags, did not correlate with, even remotely, engagement, supporting the significance of the content quality and behavioural cues instead.
The study brings an original contribution to scholarship by combining both aspects of algorithmic mechanics and influencer recruitment practices, showing that algorithms become such active co-producers of marketing value in contrast to passive distributors of content. In practice, it provides evidence-based insights into how brands should focus more on creators who engage in frequent posting routines, sincere connections with the audience, and flexibility in mobility across platforms. This dissertation contributes to the body of knowledge on algorithm-mediated marketing systems. It bridges the gap between empirical performance measures and theoretical knowledge that will help inform the need to adopt an adaptive approach to the marketing environment
The Effect of the Remote Work Model on Academic Counsellors Post-COVID-19: An Analysis of Work-Life Balance and Motivation
No full textThis study aims to analyse the influence of organisational infrastructure, support, and culture on motivation and work-life balance among educational specialists working on the basis of the remote work model caused by the COVID-19 pandemic situation. The introduction of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the fact that remote working has almost instantly transformed itself into one of the dominant work patterns in different industries around the world. This transition has produced a considerable change in the traditional leadership styles, work arrangements, and work experiences of employees in the education advisory industry, and hence it is worth discussing its wider consequences. The aims were the determination of the impact that these independent variables had on motivation and work-life balance among education professionals. A quantitative research approach was utilised where 100 participants were chosen through purposive sampling by referencing professional networks, groups of linked individuals, and education-consultancy associations on LinkedIn. The descriptive and inferential statistics used in SPSS to analyse the data included regression analysis to collect the information using a structured questionnaire that was not statistical. The key results pointed to the organisational culture and infrastructure exerting a significant positive impact on motivation and work-life balance, but surprisingly, the organisational support reduced motivation and had no significant impact on work-life balance. Following the results, the research area proposed the creation of detailed guidelines on remote work adapted to the specifics of educational advisors, the investment in digital competencies and communication skills training, and the development of virtual structures of social support. The research ended up with the conclusion that a supportive organisational culture and enhanced infrastructure are key to maintaining employee motivation and work-life balance within remote work scenarios, whereas organisational support mechanisms and their redesign need to be approached cautiously to ensure that negative outcomes are not introduced
Protecting Professional Selves Through Student-Centred Supervised Professional Practice Placement Preparation: Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic
No full textIn March 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic led to extended closures of early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings in Ireland, significantly disrupting the supervised professional practice placement (SPPP) component of HEIs delivering ECEC initial educator programmes. Five years later, the Irish ECEC sector is experiencing staffing and sustainability challenges affecting both the implementation of quality practice and the experience of student educators on placement. In this article, we interrogate what we have learned about SPPP in Irish HEIs delivering ECEC initial educator programmes since Covid-19. The article explores the pedagogical adaptations made during and after the pandemic, particularly the shift to digitally supported, student-centred, and reflective placement practices, and examines their potential long-term value. Drawing on emerging research and institutional responses, we argue that these innovations offer important insights into how higher education institutions can better prepare students for practice, support their students develop strong professional identities and strengthen placement experiences in a post-pandemic landscape. The research identifies a paradigm shift toward more student-centred, digitally enhanced approaches to placement preparation, supervision, and assessment. The study highlights how pandemic-related disruptions brought student wellbeing to the fore and prompted institutions to reconsider their support strategies, leading to a greater emphasis on reflective practice, professional confidence, and emotional preparedness. Technology played a pivotal role in maintaining connectivity among students, supervisors, and lecturers, while also facilitating innovative pedagogical practices such as micro-teaching using video snippets. These findings point to new possibilities for sustaining pedagogical innovation in SPPP and contribute to the underexplored post-pandemic literature on ECEC professional placement in higher education
A Qualitative Study on the Impact of Excessive Social Media Use on College Students
No full textBackground and Aims: It is evident from past literature that social media frequent use has a grater negative impact on users’ lives in comparison to the existent positive effect, and understanding the impact of excessive social media use on college students is essential to provide support and promote a healthier social media use. However, few research has explored the depth and complexity of students perception and experiences. The present study aimed to understand students experiences and the impact of social media excessive use during college.
Method: The study utilized a qualitative design and an inductive approach to thematic analysis through semi-structured interviews to examine the impact of excessive social media use on various aspects of students personal and academic lives. A number of 8 students participated in this study, including 1 pilot.
Results: Participants’ responses to questions about their social media use were grouped into three meta-themes and seven subthemes; participant statement excerpts were presented. These themes highlight the complex impact of social media in students' academic and personal lives, and well-being.
Conclusions: Social media significantly affects college students, offering both benefits like enhanced learning and networking opportunities, and drawbacks such as distraction and mood irregularity. Findings revealed a predominant negative effect of students’ social media overuse. Future research should explore additional variables to further to understand social media's role in students' lives
The Impact of Social Support and Burnout on Health Behaviours Among Healthcare Workers
No full textAims: This study aims to explore how perceived social support and burnout affects health behaviours of healthcare workers, focusing on different areas, such as, healthcare utilisation, diet and stress management.
Methods: A cross- sectional study was conducted on healthcare workers (n= 74) through a self-reported questionnaire, using the following scales:
- Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social support (MSPSS) to evaluate social support.
- Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) to assess burnout dimensions (emotional exhaustion, de-personalisation and personal accomplishment).
- Health Behaviour Inventory (HBI) to measure dietary habits, self- care and stress management.
The data was analysed using descriptive, Pearson correlation and Multiple regression in SPSS.
Results: The results indicated that higher perceived social support was positively associated with enhanced healthcare utilisation and self- care behaviours, it did not significantly predict dietary habits. Emotional exhaustion significantly predicted stress- related health risks, such as anger and poor stress management. De-personalisation and personal accomplishment were not significant predictors of health risk behaviours. Social support did not significantly buffer the effects of burnout on health behaviours.
Conclusion: These findings highlight the need for workplace interventions such as; social support, stress management methods and wellness programs which could enhance healthcare workers well- being as well as improve patient care outcomes
Does personality and self-esteem influence theory of mind considering age and gender?
No full textHuman life is said to give credit to theory of mind ability (ToM) that allows human to interpret social stimuli to fit into the society by inferring thoughts of and intentions of others. Emerging evidence demonstrates that exposure to stimuli is a key to ToM development while an increased tendency to withdraw from social situations in introverts is suggested. Studies also show that self-esteem plays an important role in social skills as well.
Aims: The current study aimed to gain a better understanding of to what extent that personality traits (introverts and extraverts) and self-esteem have an impact on ToM considering age and gender.
Method: 46 participants aged between 19 to 60 recruited through convenient sampling method completed The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, McCroskey’s Introversion Scale and Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET).
Results: Results showed that there was no difference in ToM between introverts and extraverts. ToM was not associated with age and no difference in ToM was found in the 3 age-groups. Introverts showed a higher level of self-esteem to a statistically significant degree compared to extraverts. There was no association between ToM and self-esteem within introverts. Males had significantly shorter reaction time in emotion identification, however ToM in males did no differ from females considering the number of correctly identified emotions. Neither personality traits nor self-esteem predicted ToM.
Conclusion: The findings highlight the importance of further investigation on the influence of personality traits on ToM. Stereotypes toward introverts often blind people to see their strengths. Introverts may not correlate with deteriorated ToM as expected. The findings also propose that self-esteem may moderate the relationship between introverts and ToM. However, the current findings need to be examined further due to little to no evidence provided in previous research to date. Future studies may seek to fill the gap
Predictors of Psychological Functioning in Athletes: Physical Activity, Sense of Community, and Team Sport Participation
No full textAims: This study investigated whether sport type(team or individual), frequency of physical activity(PA), and perceived sense of community predict psychological functioning specifically loneliness, anxiety, and depression, among athletes. This research study aimed to whether social aspects of sport impact mental health(MH) outcomes beyond the health benefits of PA.
Method: Participants (n=107) recruited via online advertisement, completed a cross-sectional online survey. Participants completed validated measures of loneliness(DJGLS), anxiety and depression(DASS-21), and sense of community(IGIM). Data was analysed using correlation, Mann-Whitney U tests, and hierarchical multiple regressions while controlling for age and gender.
Results: Age emerged as the sole significant predictor across all models, with younger athletes reporting higher levels of anxiety, and depression. There was no significant correlation between psychological outcomes and sport type, PA frequency, or sense of community. However, participants in team sports reported significantly higher sense of community compared to participants in individual sports.
Conclusion: Despite expectations, positive MH outcomes were not predicted by sport type or perceived sense of community. The findings suggest that simply engaging in PA may not protect against psychological distress unless it also fosters genuine emotional connection. Age-specific interventions and emotionally supportive sporting environments may be key to enhancing wellbeing
The Influence of Financial Threat, Psychological Distress, and Coping on Irelands’ Single Mothers Life Satisfaction
No full textSingle mothers in Ireland are one of the most vulnerable groups at risk of poverty, deprivation and multiple stress exposure. Much research has explored the impact of financial circumstances on life satisfaction. However, financial threat has not been explored to date. This study aimed to examine the influence of financial threat, psychological distress, adaptive and maladaptive coping on Ireland’s single mothers’ life satisfaction, whilst also considering individual demographic influences (age, living situation, employment status, custody status and number of children). The sample consisted of 154 single mothers, which were recruited through non-probability sampling methods. This study employed a cross-sectional, quantitative design. Participants’ data was gathered through an online survey, which included demographic questions alongside the Financial Threat Scale, Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, Brief-COPE Scale, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Results found high financial threat and psychological distress associated with lower life satisfaction, whilst high financial threat was associated with high psychological distress. Results from hierarchical regression found financial threat was the strongest predicter of life satisfaction, followed by adaptive and maladaptive coping. Psychological distress was insignificant once coping was considered. Coping strategies may buffer psychological distress associated with financial threat although may be less impactful in relieving financial threat associated with broad structural barriers. Findings have important practical implications for policy reform to address the financial insecurity of single mothers, and for mental health support to build adaptive coping skills and resilience