The Effect Of Visualized Student\u27s Self-set Learning Progress Goals On East Asian Chinese Student\u27s Motivation And Self Confidence In Learning

This study was conducted to determine if visualized goal achievement can help enhance East Asian Chinese students‟ motivation in learning and elevate their confidence in reaching their goals thus improving their performance. The goal achievement was visualized on a goal achievement progress chart that was self-created and self-managed by the East Asian Chinese students and the goal creating was under the supervision of their instructor. In this study, literature reviews on the theories, previous research studies in the perspectives of East Asian students‟ motivation in learning, goal setting on motivation, self-determination, self-efficacy, and expectancy theories are conducted to provide theoretical ground and legitimate evidence for this particular research. The researcher conducted an experiment in which students were given a learning task and required to set their own learning goals for that learning task under the supervision of their instructors. In this specific experiment, a total of 106 students from a university that was funded by American Educators in a central province in China agreed to participate in stages one, and two of the study, but some students withdrew from this research and some did not participate in both research stages therefore their data were take out from the data to make research result more consistent. Therefore eventually 72 students were considered eligible to go through the whole process of turning in the questionnaires and participating in the performance test. In this particular goal setting research study, the students were given the freedom of setting their own learning pace iii and managing their own progress on a visualized progress chart. The progress chart was visualized as a climbing/progressing line, which goes from bottom to top (see appendix C) once students achieved their learning goals. At the same time, the instructor provided feedback concerning the students‟ progress. Although some of the research results displayed no statistical significance for motivation and self-confidence during the pre and post session of the research, there is a positive correlation among motivation, self-confidence, and performance outcome. One research result did corroborate the previous research study that goal setting strategy would improve learning outcome

An investigation into the influence of personality factors on cultural intelligence and the direct and moderating effects of international experience

Globalization has created tremendous opportunities for organizations, but also created challenges due to cultural diversity, highlighting the importance of cross-cultural competencies in becoming successful nowadays. Cultural Intelligence (CQ) has emerged as an important concept describing the individual capabilities needed to effectively interact across cultures. Utilizing the theory of evolutionary personality psychology, several relationships are predicted between certain personality traits and factors of CQ. In addition, social learning theory is applied to explain the expected relationships between international experience and CQ. Thirdly, several hypotheses are developed to investigate if international experience strengthens the relationship between certain personality traits and elements of CQ. Based on a sample size of 197 employees from a financial services company, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses validate the theorized four-factor CQ model. The results, based on stepwise regression analyses, confirm the expected relationship between international experience and all factors of CQ, except BCQ. In addition, the results reveal several significant relationships between personality factors and CQ. Novel for the research on CQ is the confirmation of several significant correlations between “dark-side“ personality traits (which have been characterized as ineffective behaviours) and elements of CQ. This study also shows several moderating relationships, providing new insights and posing important questions for future research, contributing to the accumulating literature on CQ. In addition, the results of this study provide interesting suggestions for practice, emphasizing the importance of adapting Human Resources policies to recruit, enable and retain those employees who are likely to successfully grasp the opportunities that globalization offers. In order to achieve this, organizations should rely on a broad range of assessment and development tools, focussing on CQ, personality traits and previous international experience, when selecting and preparing individuals for cross-cultural careers

Adoption Behavior for Facilities Management Information Systems at Feature Level

Information technology adoption at the feature level is relative new and becoming a research area in the information system (IS). Features adoption is defined as a basket of information system features that can be used by a particular user to accomplish work task. Currently, information systems have multiple features so that multiple users can complete multiple tasks and accomplish specific work objectives. Their power can reveal only when their features support specific employees in completing their tasks efficiently and effectively. The integration of features, work processes and employees is critical. Moreover, bundles of new and old features with similar functions coexist in employees’ tool kits. Employees can cherry-pick their favorite work settings at different points in time. This situation leads to dynamic and complex nature of technology adoption behavior at feature level. Past research that has concentrated on adoption at the system level may be less relevant, overly simple or inappropriate to explain and predict adoption behavior at the feature level. This thesis builds upon two consecutive empirical projects and investigates forms of feature adoption behavior and their respective outcomes for individuals and organizations. It proposes feature substitution that employees substitute old features with new ones, having similar functions, is the desired form of adoption behavior because of positive outcomes attained. This thesis adopts the Expectancy Theory of Motivation, to explore the co-influence of personal experiential factors and cognitive factors on feature substitution, as goal-oriented and outcome-based behavior. Through investigating why and how specific behavior happens, the thesis has developed a theoretical framework to explain feature substitution at workplace context. Additionally, organizational factors are discovered that have a substantial indirect influence on the behavior, and therefore enrich our knowledge of the facilitating conditions. This finding becomes a guide to formulating effective organizational measures to strengthen the motivation for the behavior. Overall, this thesis reveals the key determinants of feature substitution, including experiential factors, benefit, personal intrinsic needs, work goal congruence and self-esteem, and organizational factor of self-learning environment. The service performance management approach may moderate those variables

Constructing a psycho-social model for team cohesion at a financial institution

The purpose of the study was to construct a psycho-social model for team cohesion at a financial institution. The financial institution had been in existence for 127 years, and had faced significant challenges throughout its history of acquisitions and mergers to establish working teams that would give it a competitive edge in global financial markets. The research objective was to develop a psycho-social model for team cohesion by investigating the interrelationships and overall relationships amongst the independent constructs (self-worth, personality preferences and conflict resolution styles) and the relevant outcome (team cohesion). Furthermore, the study also scientifically tested the possible moderating effect of the employees’ socio-demographic characteristics (race, gender, age, level of education, job level and tenure) on the fostering of team cohesiveness. A quantitative cross-sectional survey design approach was selected and applied to a simple probability sample (N = 463) using standardised, valid and reliable measuring instruments. The population consisted of permanent employees, and the results revealed significant relationships between the construct variables. The canonical correlation indicated a significant overall relationship between the contingencies of self-worth domains, personality preferences and conflict resolution styles, and the team cohesion-related dispositions of cohesiveness and engaged. The structured equation modelling indicated a good fit of the data between the individuals’ contingencies of self-worth domains (family support, God’s love, virtues, competition, work competence, physical appearance and pleasing others), the accommodating conflict resolution style, an extraversion personality preference, and team cohesion. Hierarchical moderated regression showed that race, age, educational level and job tenure significantly moderated the relationship between the participants’ psycho-social attributes and team cohesion. Tests for significant mean differences revealed significant differences in terms of the socio-biographical variables. On a theoretical level, the study deepened understanding of the antecedent constructs (self-worth, personality preferences and conflict resolution styles) and team cohesion construct. On an empirical level, the study produced an empirically tested psycho-social model for team cohesion. This study will add significant practical, valuable knowledge to the organisation in managing the future establishment and enhancement of team cohesion, and when integrating new team members to the environment during organisational restructuring and re-alignment after acquisitions and mergers, without negatively affecting organisational effectiveness. These findings invariably provided new insight in managing and understanding inherent interpersonal conflict among employees in the workplace and the enhancement of team cohesion practices, thus adding to the existing body of knowledge in the fields of Consulting Psychology and Industrial and Organisational Psychology, more specifically in financial organisations.PsychologyD. Phil. (Consulting Psychology

Quality management systems, employee satisfaction and motivational factors influence on employee performance in private higher education institutions in Malaysia

Education is one of the important key areas of transforming Malaysia from a moderate income country to a high income country. Both public and private higher education institutions (HEI) need to work together to achieve the goal. Thus, the aim of this research is to examine the relationship between quality management systems (QMS) of private HEI which implement QMS ISO 9001:2008 towards the employee performance. This study also examined the effects of an employee satisfaction as a mediator and motivational factors as a moderator of the study relationships. Three main theories (System theory, Utility theory and Herzberg theory) have been used to explain the possible relationship between variables in the framework proposed. This study adopted quantitative approaches to obtain survey data and used proportionate stratified random sampling. There were 450 questionnaires which had been sent to private HEI, 222 were received and only 202 questionnaires were used for statistical analysis purposes with the response rate of 61%. The target respondents were academic staffs of the private HEI. After obtaining the data, descriptive analysis was done using SPSS, and inference analysis using software SmartPLS. The findings show that there is a significant relationship between QMS and the employee performance (management responsibility, resource management, product realization and measurement, analysis and improvement). The study also revealed that the mediating variable of employee satisfaction influenced the relationship between QMS and employee performance. However, the motivational factors did not act as a moderating variable between the relationship of QMS and the employee satisfaction. The results of the study could contribute to enhance knowledge on individual variable or a relationship between QMS, employee satisfaction, motivational factors and employee performance

The end of stigma? Understanding the dynamics of legitimisation in the context of TV series consumption

This research contributes to prior work on stigmatisation by looking at stigmatisation and legitimisation as social processes in the context of TV series consumption. Using in-depth interviews, we show that the dynamics of legitimisation are complex and accompanied by the reproduction of existing stigmas and creation of new stigmas

Imagine the future world: How do we want to work tomorrow?:Abstract proceedings of the 16th EAWOP Congress 2013

The contributions summarized in this volume have been presented at the 16th Congress of the European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology (EAWOP) in Münster, Germany, May 22-25th, 2013. The bi-annual EAWOP Congress is one of the largest international conferences of work and organizational psychologists worldwide, and the largest in Europe. For the current congress, more than 1.700 abstract were submitted that were subject to a double-blind review process. The theme of the EAWOP Congress 2013 “Imagine the future world: How do we want to work tomorrow?” particularly focused on new challenges that we experience in work organizations today and tomorrow, such as globalization and digitalization of economic processes, flexible work with remote partners, demographic changes, financial turbulences, and growing climatic problems. Providing new and innovative ideas on mastering these challenges, this congress was not only a stimulating event for the community of work and organizational psychologists, but also offers new ideas and concepts for decision makers in related disciplines, consultancies, and politics