The Gift of Life

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Teachers\u27 Perceptions of Their Self-Regulated Learning Practices in Elementary School Classrooms

Self-regulated learning (SRL) is associated with adaptable, critical, lifelong thinking skills. Teachers are essential to promoting SRL in learners, yet infrequently teach these learning strategies in classrooms. We addressed three research questions: (1) How do K–5 teachers implement SRL in their teaching?, (2) How is the use of SRL strategies linked to their self-efficacy or confidence in teaching?, and (3) How do teachers differ in their use of SRL depending on school type (public vs. private)? Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 primary in-service teachers, sampled equally from one public and one private school, to explore their SRL practices. They frequently utilized SRL in implicit ways. Further themes included setting goals based on student needs, monitoring student progress, and thereby adapting instruction. Teachers were largely confident about incorporating SRL into their instruction. Public school participants relied on time management and tracked student progress in more summative ways than their private school counterparts

Are Positive and Negative Leader Humor Two Different Coins? A Meta-Analysis

Scholars disagree on the distinction between positive and negative leader humor, which may hinder the integration and advancement of the leader humor literature. Thus, we meta-analyzed the correlation between positive and negative leader humor, as well as their shared nomological networks (k = 161; follower N = 45,759; leader N = 7,820). Our meta-analysis indicates that (1) there is a very small but significant correlation between positive and negative leader humor (ρ = -.07); (2) positive and negative leader humor have differential relationships with most antecedents (e.g., positive affectivity) and outcomes (e.g., innovation and citizenship behavior); (3) positive affect and leader-member exchange intervene independently and in series the relationships between leader humor and follower outcomes, whereas negative affect mediates the effects of positive leader humor but not negative leader humor. These findings improve our understanding of the uniqueness of positive and negative leader humor, and provide important theoretical and practical implications for the leader humor literature

Feel Bad to Discard a Fashion Product: How AI Designers Influence Individuals\u27 Sustainable Consumption

This study explores how AI technology in fashion design influences consumers\u27 sustainable consumption behaviors, focusing on emotional attachment to products. By comparing AI-generated and human-designed fashion items, the study examines how designer type impacts negative emotions about discarding products, mediated by emotional attachment. Results from two experimental studies reveal that designer type significantly affects negative emotions toward discarding human-designed items, but emotional attachment was not influenced by designer type in the first study. This lack of difference may be due to personal characteristics that moderate the effect. The second study found that individuals who perceive AI as human-like form stronger emotional attachments to AI-generated products, which impacts their sustainable consumption behavior. The findings suggest that fostering emotional connections with AI-designed products could encourage more sustainable consumer behaviors in fashion

Don\u27t Leave the Good Things in the Rearview! A Field Experiment Examining the Influence of a Positive Work Reflection Intervention on Taxi Drivers\u27 Work Behaviors

As service jobs tend to be demanding and exhausting, it is critical to identify ways that help service employees stay positive and engage in behaviors that represent high quality customer service. Drawing upon affective events theory, this research aims to examine how a positive work reflection intervention influences service employees\u27 work behaviors via positive affect and the role of promotion focus as a personality moderator. We used a between-subjects design to test the effects of the “three good things” positive work reflection intervention in a field experiment. Data were collected from 74 taxi drivers who were randomly assigned into either an intervention condition or a control condition. They rated their positive affect and work behaviors using daily diary surveys for 7 consecutive days, during which participants in the intervention condition completed the “three good things” exercise at the end of each workday. Results showed that participants in the intervention condition reported higher levels of morning positive affect compared to participants in the control condition, but only for those with higher levels of promotion focus. Further, the intervention indirectly increased extra-role service behavior and reduced rule breaking behavior and passive response to entitled customer demands via positive affect for individuals with higher levels of promotion focus. The intervention showed opposite effects for individuals with lower levels of promotion focus. The intervention also directly enhanced employees\u27 active response in handling entitled customer demands. Our findings suggest that a simple exercise like the “three good things” positive work reflection intervention can significantly influence service employees\u27 work behaviors and the importance of considering the alignment between the intervention and individual differences

The Motives for Mergers and Acquisitions and Their Implications for Research and Practice

Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) have long intrigued scholars given their size, complexity, and frequent failure. Despite an extensive body of research on M&A, a key limitation in M&A research is the lack of focus on the motives underpinning acquisitions, which may explain frequent mixed and inconclusive results. Much of the existing literature struggles to fully capture the complex and multifaceted nature of these motives, limiting the ability to draw consistent conclusions. In this paper, we review academic and practical perspectives on M&A motives, highlighting both discrepancies and methodological challenges. Our key contributions include a comparison of theoretical and practical insights, and a discussion of challenges like construct validity and research bias. We also emphasize the need for future research to explore M&A motives in specific industries and under varying scenarios, such as single versus multiple motives, and to assess how environmental and technological factors impact these motives and their outcomes

Manufacturing Revolutionary Culture: The Rise of the French Bourgeoisie

The free press is often feared by authoritarians for its revolutionary potential. The French Revolution of 1789 is an iconic example of the weaponized free press seemingly destabilizing the government and leading social change. Several more revolutions in France followed 1789, however, and I argue that the French Revolutions throughout the “Long Century” (late 1700s to early 1900s) were expressions of a larger revolutionary cycle rather than isolated events. Media is a culture producer that is generally used to manufacture culture that maintains the current status quo. However, if countercultural actors (such as revolutionaries) begin using media to produce culture that is incongruent with the status quo, that causes social destabilization and the potential for social change. Within the French Revolutions, the bourgeoisie were an emerging socioeconomic class (the class of capital), gaining more economic importance and class consciousness. Historically, the aristocracy (the landed class) had controlled the French press. Increasingly, though, the bourgeoisie was entering ownership of media and its production. This enabled the emerging bourgeoisie to use the press to produce counterculture damaging to the aristocracy and favorable to the bourgeoisie. The aristocracy struggled to control the media. Accordingly, the bourgeoisie consistently fought for the right to a free press, as it afforded them more power in realizing their class ambitions. Effectively, the press served as a tool the bourgeoisie used to displace and then replace the aristocracy as the elite social class by producing a destabilizing revolutionary counterculture

Line List for the A²Π−X²Σ⁺ and the B²Σ⁺−X²Σ⁺ Band Systems of CaF

The spectral analysis of molecule-rich asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars is challenging. Although other calcium and fluorine bearing molecules are observed in the microwave and in the visible spectrum of AGB stars, CaF has never been detected, despite favorable chemical equilibrium predictions. Yet, measuring the CaF abundance could give more insight into the fluorine budget of AGB stars and allow better simulation of stellar spectra. In this work, we present an analysis of the visible spectrum of CaF obtained with a Fourier transform spectrometer. CaF A²Π−X²Σ⁺ and B²Σ⁺−X²Σ⁺ band systems were excited with a hollow cathode discharge. Using previous fluorescence spectroscopy measurements, highly accurate ground state constants, and reasonable extrapolation schemes, the strongest features of CaF in the visible spectrum can be accurately modeled for both band systems. Spectroscopic constants are determined for A² Π with v ≤ 16 and for B²Σ⁺ with v ≤ 20. Ab initio transition dipole moment curves of both transitions were calculated and scaled, and we provide a line list with Einstein A coefficients and oscillator strengths. This line list can be used to simulate spectra of CaF at temperatures and pressures relevant to astrophysical environments

Administering Secondary Level Learners’ Engagement in Online Education During COVID-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh: A Leadership Perspective

School leadership played a pivotal role in secondary schools of Bangladesh to continue education without interruption during the COVID-19 crisis. The study aimed to identify the approaches, roles, challenges, strengths, and success measures of teachers as school leaders in mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on secondary education. Data was collected through a mixed-methods approach, including questionnaire surveys, interviews, and focus group discussions (FGDs) with secondary-level teachers and students. The findings indicate that despite a strong willingness to adapt, factors such as low network connectivity, limited knowledge, and poor economic conditions hindered the implementation of online education (OE) in secondary schools. However, school leaders demonstrated various leadership qualities, including situational, emergent, assigned, laissez-faire, transformational, participative, and crisis leadership. This research contributes to the literature on school leadership during crises and offers insights into the specific challenges faced in the context of secondary education in Bangladesh. The findings can inform policymakers, educators, and school leaders in designing effective strategies to address similar crises and ensure the provision of quality education

COVID-19 Impact, Knowledge and Preparedness among Dental Hygienists in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional Study

Objectives: The study investigates the impact of COVID‐19 on dental hygiene professionals practicing in Saudi Arabia and measures the knowledge and preparedness of dental hygienists to provide care during the pandemic. Methods: A non‐experimental, cross‐sectional study was conducted targeting dental hygiene professionals in Saudi Arabia. The online survey consisted of 31 close‐ended questions: 9 items related to demographics and 22 items that are COVID‐19 related. Data were tested at two levels, descriptive and preliminary, using the Chi‐square test, and significance was set at the 0.05 level. Results: One hundred and thirty‐one responses were received, and the final sample included one hundred and eighteen responses as it excluded unemployed dental hygienists with an estimated 39.6% response rate. The stress level to return to practice was considered moderate among 65.3% of participants. Over two‐thirds (73.7%) of dental hygienists were not providing any care/treatment during quarantine. Generally, a moderate level of knowledge (57.8%) was demonstrated by participants. For preparedness level to practice during the pandemic, sixty‐four dental hygienists (54.2%) were adequately prepared to provide care. Significant correlations were found between impact and knowledge (p = 0.045), impact and preparedness (p = 0.053), and knowledge and preparedness (p = 0.024). Conclusions: Dissemination of COVID‐19 protocols, guidelines, and scientific literature increased the respondents’ knowledge and preparedness to an adequate level. This study indicated that knowledgeable dental hygienists were significantly more prepared to treat patients during the pandemic and that stress positively influenced COVID‐19 knowledge acquisition. Non-practicing dental hygienists during the quarantine were more knowledgeable and more prepared to practice during the pandemic