Financial insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic: spillover effects on burnout–disengagement relationships and performance of employees who moonlight

The novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has magnified the issue of financial insecurity. However, its effect on individual-organizational relations and, consequently, on organizational performance remains understudied. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore the spillover effect of financial insecurity on the burnout–disengagement relationship during the pandemic. The authors investigate in particular whether the spillover effect influences the performance of moonlighting employees and also explore the mediating effect of disengagement on the relationship between financial insecurity and burnout interaction effect and the performance (i.e., mediated-moderation). This study collected responses from 162 public and private sector employees who are engaged in moonlighting activities in Malaysia. The results from the partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) revealed greater levels of financial insecurity and burnout associated with greater levels of work disengagement. The analysis of the interaction-moderation effect showed that when financial insecurity rises, the burnout effect on work disengagement increases among moonlighters. Using the PROCESS macro model, the results displayed burnout as a predictor of extra-role performance via a moderated (financial insecurity) mediation (work disengagement) relationship. Going forward, this study not only opens new avenues for research into the financial consequences of COVID-19 but also calls on managers to take proactive steps to mitigate the negative effect of the pandemic on the performance of moonlighting employees to keep them in the profession

Deepening critical thinking skills through civic engagement in Malaysia higher education

Developing critical thinking skills among undergraduates has been set as an aim in the higher education for years. In recent times, it has become more crucial in implementing this aim to improve students’ commitment to civic engagement. Thus, this study examined the association between civic engagement and critical thinking skills of Malaysian undergraduates. Based on related literature, this study is quantitative in nature where a total of 400 regular university students were chosen as participants. The results have proved that civic engagement has an impact on the students' critical thinking skills and its sub-domains can explain about almost half of the variance in critical thinking ability in the Malaysian context. Although civic skills have superior impacts on critical thinking skills, civic disposition seems to have less importance on it. The results also reveal the negative association between civic knowledge and critical thinking skills. It is hoped that this study can also provide the necessary resources for university faculty and administrators who are also interested in implementing civic engagement within the higher education context to build bridges between the university and its communities

Active citizenship by active learning

Active citizenship is a way of development greater young citizen responsibility. It is a combination of obligations and responsibilities through involvement in civic issues. Be an active citizen need new ways of educating students which are different from traditional learning methods. Active learning method derived from learned-centred approaches stress more on students as intelligent entities rather than just receivers. Employing methods of active learning in citizenship education has some obstacles but the advantages are greater than passive ways of learning

Effects of emotions and ethics on pro-environmental behavior of university employees: a model based on the theory of planned behavior

Over the last few years, many activities conducted by university employees have contributed greatly to the global rise of greenhouse gases responsible for the warming of the planet. This phenomenon can be attributed primarily to altering lifestyle, consumption, and portability patterns. Even though there is a significant applicability, understanding the factors determining the pro-environmental behavior (PEB) of university employees is lacking. Thus, this study extended the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explain PEB among university employees. Ten hypotheses were suggested regarding the relations between the initial TPB constructs, environmental ethics, and emotional intelligence. A self-reported questionnaire was used to collect data from a randomly selected sample of 302 university employees from six Malaysian higher educational institutions listed in the UI Green Matrix 2016. The findings revealed that environmental ethics significantly affected attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms. Furthermore, pro-environmental behavioral intentions (PEIs) were directly influenced by attitude and perceived behavioral control, while emotional intelligence mediated the relationship between PEIs and PEB. Moving forward, this study will provide new insights into the literature of university employees’ PEB using an expanded TPB model

Using network-based theory to develop a curriculum for citizenship education in higher institutions

The civic development of higher education students is currently recognized as a critical issue in education research. Numerous studies have investigated the development of civic skills; however, to date, no study has provided a comprehensive overview of the benefits and functions of horizontal networks among students as the main tool in their civic development in the form of citizenship education programs. This paper presents an approach based on network theory to create a horizontal network model of citizenship education that dynamically supports civic development in higher education. The theory emphasizes four main purposes of horizontal networks towards civic development—facilitating change, transferring civic knowledge, reinforcing civic norms, and enhancing civic learning—that may allow students of higher education to serve as vital building blocks for the development of a lively civil society. This study provides an account of the cumulative knowledge regarding how these horizontal networks assist students to perform within the main components of an education system. It is suggested that higher education authorities need to focus on these networks, and redesign programs to facilitate their creation among students

Socio-cultural barriers to youth voice in Nigerian school-based management committees: a multi-case analysis

This study explores the challenges of implementing youth voice in school-based management committees (SBMC) in Nigeria. SBMC are a form of youth-adult partnership that involve communities in the management of local primary schools. The program aims to provide community members, including vulnerable groups such as young people who traditionally lack a voice in community leadership structures, opportunities to partake in school governance. The current study used a qualitative case study approach by interviewing 19 committee members from two SBMCs in Niger State. Thematic analysis from interviews revealed that differential treatment of people of different ages, traditional power structures, the lack of a participatory culture in decision-making, and conventional role divisions impeded the practice of youth voice in the early stages of the SBMCs. The findings provide important insight from an understudied cultural setting on the need to consider sociocultural barriers to youth voice in community-based initiatives

Understanding meaning and characteristics of civic development in higher education

Higher education is a central part of youth life, and its job is to prepare young people to engage in civil society. It is also important in constructing competencies and helping young people to develop a civic identity. Thus, the aim of this study is to explore the meaning and characteristics of civic development among students in the higher education system. A qualitative study using a semi-structural interview is conducted to collect data from 12 international postgraduates of Universiti Putra Malaysia, and the data establishes that three distinct but connected themes-that is, civic knowledge, tendency, and engagement-are key aspects of civic development. The findings relating to these three themes underline the requirements for a civically engaged youth. The findings suggest that policy makers should redesign civic programs based on suitable methods by which to educate students in formal and informal manners

The relationship between workload and performance of research university academics in Malaysia: the mediating effects of career commitment and job satisfaction

The purpose of this study is to test the relationship between job workload and academic performance among university academic staff in Malaysia. The paper also attempts to discuss and then seek empirical evidence to the two mediational paths (namely, career commitment and job satisfaction) that explain the focal relationship between job workload and academic performance. To test the three proposed hypotheses, the study used cross-sectional data collected from academic staff serving in Malaysian Research Universities (MRUs). The final sample of 191 valid and complete responses was analysed using SmartPLS 3.3.3 to test the hypotheses. Results showed that workload is negatively related to academic staff performance. In addition, job satisfaction mediates workload and academic staff performance linkage. These findings reinforce the importance of job satisfaction as an influencing factor against the deleterious effect of job workload and academic staff performance. The study has shown that, contrary to our expectations, career commitment does not mediate the relation between job workload and academic staff performance. Going forward, this study provides new insights about the effect of job workload on the performance of university academic staff through intervening variables

Validity and reliability of a self-acceptance scale for youth with physical disabilities

Youth with disabilities generally struggle to earn a good livelihood as they journey through life. Disability acceptance is acceptance of impairment or loss of worth or acceptance of failure in the sense of disability. It involves changes in one’s values, placing less importance on one’s physical disability and more on one’s remaining assets or abilities. To develop the Self-Acceptance Scale for youth with physical disabilities (SAS-PD), this study adopted the sequential exploratory design. The scale was administered on 247 persons with physical disabilities. Following the compilation and analysis of qualitative data, a quantitative study was conducted. The Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) identified six factors, viz. social stigma, enlargement, and asset value, containment of disability effect, family support, and body acceptance that were represented by fifty items in a questionnaire that covered the attributes examined in the scale. The assessment of the level of self-acceptance by youth with disabilities using the SAS-PD may be a valuable intervention for transition programs. Going forward, the scale could also be used to build the profile of people with physical disabilities before they begin participating in any face to face or virtual training program. The assessment of youth with disability self-acceptance level enables their parents and teachers to be aware of their mental state and lead to more strategic planning for the teaching-learning approach

Does a person-environment-fit promote the academic achievement of hearing-impaired students in Malaysian polytechnics? the mediating effects of satisfaction and adjustment

(1) This study investigates the influence of a person-environment-fit on academic achievement and examines mediating effects of adjustment and satisfaction on this relationship; (2) Methods: Data were collected from a sample of 195 hearing-impaired students from five polytechnics in Malaysia that offered the Special Skills Certificate program; (3) Results: Results revealed that the two constructs of the person-environment approach: personality-major fit and needs-supplies fit were positively associated with academic achievement. The adjustment was found to mediate this relationship. Taken together, these results signal that the person-environment constructs contribute to the academic achievement of hearing-impaired students and that adjustment is instrumental in elucidating this relationship; (4) Conclusions: The finding adds to the data, indicating that the person-environment-fit is a possible model of inclusion for hearing-impaired students and also provides initial data about the functioning of hearing-impaired students in Malaysian polytechnics