An empirical study on behavioural intention to reuse e-learning systems in rural China

The learner’s acceptance of e-learning systems has received extensive attention in prior studies, but how their experience of using e-learning systems impacts on their behavioural intention to reuse those systems has attracted limited research. As the applications of e-learning are still gaining momentum in developing countries, such as China, it is necessary to examine the relationships between e-learners’ experience and perceptions and their behavioural intention to reuse, because it is argued that system reuse is an important indicator of the system’s success. Therefore, a better understanding of the multiple factors affecting the e-learner’s intention to reuse could help e-learning system researchers and providers to develop more effective and acceptable e-learning systems. Underpinned by the information system success model, technology acceptance model and self-efficacy theory, a theoretical framework was developed to investigate the learner’s behavioural intention to reuse e-learning systems. A total of 280 e-learners were surveyed to validate the measurements and proposed research model. The results demonstrated that e-learning service quality, course quality, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and self-efficacy had direct effects on users’ behavioural intention to reuse. System functionality and system response have an indirect effect, but system interactivity had no significant effect. Furthermore, self-efficacy affected perceived ease of use that positively influenced perceived usefulness

The Challenges of Developing an Instrument to Assess Health Provider Motivation at Primary Care Level in Rural Burkina Faso, Ghana and Tanzania.

The quality of health care depends on the competence and motivation of the health workers that provide it. In the West, several tools exist to measure worker motivation, and some have been applied to the health sector. However, none have been validated for use in sub-Saharan Africa. The complexity of such tools has also led to concerns about their application at primary care level. To develop a common instrument to monitor any changes in maternal and neonatal health (MNH) care provider motivation resulting from the introduction of pilot interventions in rural, primary level facilities in Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Tanzania. Initially, a conceptual framework was developed. Based upon this, a literature review and preliminary qualitative research, an English-language instrument was developed and validated in an iterative process with experts from the three countries involved. The instrument was then piloted in Ghana. Reliability testing and exploratory factor analysis were used to produce a final, parsimonious version. This paper describes the actual process of developing the instrument. Consequently, the concepts and items that did not perform well psychometrically at pre-test are first presented and discussed. The final version of the instrument, which comprises 42 items for self-assessment and eight for peer-assessment, is then shown. This is followed by a presentation and discussion of the findings from first use of the instrument with MNH providers from 12 rural, primary level facilities in each of the three countries. It is possible to undertake work of this nature at primary health care level, particularly if the instruments are kept as straightforward as possible and well introduced. However, their development requires very lengthy preparatory periods. The effort needed to adapt such instruments for use in different countries within the region of sub-Saharan Africa should not be underestimated

Family feedback in Child Welfare Services: A systematic review of measures

Background: Assessing family feedback in Child Welfare Services is embedded in family-centered practice, and the availability of validated, reliable instruments to perform this evaluation is essential for front-line practitioners, managers, and policymakers. Nonetheless, to date, no study has systematically identified and analyzed the measures in this field. Objectives: A systematic review of the literature following the PRISMA guidelines was conducted to identify, describe and conceptually and psychometrically assess all of the published measures of family feedback in Child Welfare Services. Method: A search of the measures published in peer-reviewed scientific journals in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and French from 1980 to October 2013 was performed. Ten electronic databases and reference lists of relevant studies were consulted. In total, 13 studies including eight instruments were identified and analyzed. Results: Most studies omitted information regarding the descriptive characteristics of the instruments and made no reference to a conceptual model. In most cases, the development and validation processes of the instruments and their psychometric characteristics were insufficiently reported. Additionally, some relevant elements of family-centered practice were frequently omitted in the dimensions of the questionnaires. Conclusions: The scarcity of validated measures to evaluate family feedback in Child Welfare Services demands further research to develop new instruments that overcome these limitations. Recommendations for designing and validating future instruments are provided

A new model for cross-cultural web design

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.People from different cultures use web interface in different ways, expect different visual representation, navigation, interaction, mental model, and layouts etc., and have different communication patterns and expectation. In the context of globalisation, web localisation becomes a powerful strategy to acquire an audience in a global market. Therefore, web developers and designers have to make adaptations to fit the needs of people from different cultures, and the way cultural factors are integrated into web interface design needs to be improved. Most previous research lacks an appropriate way to apply cultural factors into web development. No empirical study of the web interface has been carried out to support the cross-cultural web design model. It is noted that no single model can support all cross-cultural web communication but a new model is needed to bridge the gap and improve the limitations. Thus the research aim was to build a new model of cross-cultural web design to contribute to effective communication. Following an extensive literature review, a local web audit was conducted, then a series of experiments with users to gather and evaluate data and build and validate the new model. A new model, based on a study of British and Taiwanese users, was formulated and validated demonstrating that content and message remain the core of web design but the performance of the selected users is influenced by the cultural dimension and cultural preferences and this, in turn impacts on the effectiveness of the web communication. For the British user sample, ease of using the website was seen to be strongly related to desirability. Taiwanese users showed preference for visual pleasure but no relationship between efficient performance and desirability. The resultant model contributes to the knowledge of how to design effective web interfaces for British and Taiwanese cultures and is replicable for the purpose of comparing approaches to designing for other cultures

Validating the Technostress Instrument using a Sample of Chinese Knowledge Workers

Today, the phenomenon of technostress is both pervasive and global. Nevertheless, research efforts, especially empirical and cross culture studies, in this domain have been very limited. In addition, lack of consistency in the technostress measure found in existing literature made it difficult to build a unified body of knowledge of technostress. Using a sample of 221 Chinese knowledge workers, this study cross-validated and refined the technostress measure developed by Tarafdar et al. (2007). It was found that the instrument offered high validity and reliability after some respecification in the Chinese context. Technostress experienced by Chinese knowledge workers was investigated and compared to that of US workers. The influence of individual and organizational characteristics on technostress was also examined