The current study examined the impact of parental style on early childhood learning, as well as the role of parental self-efficacy (PSE) as a mediating factor. In the domains of education and psychology, it is increasingly recognized that parents have a considerable impact on their children’s learning and development. Purposive sampling was used and data was gathered over 3 months from school children’s parents. Hypotheses were tested using smart partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM v3.2.8) software. The findings of the present study reveal that an authoritative parenting style is positively associated with learning outcomes among Chinese students. Moreover, the mediating role of parental self-efficacy has been tested and proved to be a potential mediator between parental style and children’s learning outcomes. High PSE is linked to parents’ adoption of a variety of optimum parenting practices throughout childhood, including maternal sensitivity and responsiveness to children’s needs, warm and affectionate parental behavior, and monitoring. Hence, low PSE has been linked to coercive or harsh parenting as well as a proclivity to give up easily when faced with parental difficulties. In China, further study is needed on the relationship between parenting style, parental self-efficacy, and learning outcome. Future parenting programs could also focus on raising parents’ understanding of the need for both parents’ involvement in expressive activities and mentoring. This could help them boost their parenting self-efficacy even more. Lastly, the implications for parents, children, and teachers are discussed.
1 April 2022 in Psychology Research and Behavior Management
Purpose: University life is a critical time when students start thinking about their careers in the future. Emotions and confidence are important factors in the career decision-making process. This process of choosing a specific direction towards a career often opens students to many uncertain situations, leading them to stress and anxiety. Emotional intelligence and generalized self-efficacy facilitate students in effective career decision-making by coping with difficulties during academia. The present study aimed to find the impact of emotional intelligence (EI) on career decision-making (CDM) and generalized self-efficacy (GSE) among university students in China. Patients and Methods: The study included 310 undergraduate students from different universities of China. A cross-sectional research design was used and a convenient sampling technique was utilized. For the present study, Wong and Law emotional intelligence, generalized self-efficacy, and career decision-making difficulties scales were utilized. Results: Findings of the study show that there is a significant relationship between EI, GSE, and career decision-making difficulties. Results revealed a significant positive relationship of GSE with emotional intelligence. GSE has a significant negative relationship with career decision-making difficulties. Moreover, EI has a significant negative relationship with career decision-making difficulties. Conclusion: The study will help students to utilize emotional intelligence skills during academic and vocational life. For future research, qualitative studies would be conducted to better explore the underlying causes behind career decision-making difficulties.
1 July 2022 in Risk Management and Healthcare Policy
Virtual learning has emerged as a powerful platform for students and academicians in the “new normal” owing to the availability of advanced technological tools and platforms. Recently, considerable literature has grown up around the role of digital and remote technologies in learning and teaching during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, the research evidence on this topic is still fragmented, requiring a synthesis of this rapidly growing literature. This study aims to assess the key research trends in virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic through a bibliometric analysis of 1595 studies from 589 journals during 2020– 21. Our study highlights the influential aspects, such as the most contributing countries, journals, authors, and keywords in this research field. We identified the following four main research trends: 1) challenges in online learning and blended learning strategies; 2) student-centered, collaborative learning, and curriculum design; 3) home-based laboratory learning; and 4) teachers’ professional competence and interdisciplinary learning. We conclude this research by discussing the implications for regulators and educational institutions, and directions for future research.
Increasing haze pollution and its adverse effects on human health is pressuring academics and practitioners to search for different solutions for environmental sustainability around the world. Similar to other countries, Pakistan is also affected by air pollution, and smog has become a fifth season. In Pakistan, one of the main reasons of smog and air pollution is hazardous emissions from vehicles. As a result, the booming automobile industry of Pakistan is now affected by two major challenges: sustainable product development and organizational performance. To meet these challenges, the study has developed a conceptual model to find the effect of big data analytics on organizational performance by adopting a sustainable development program. For the elimination of standard method biases, the study has used a time lag approach to collect the data in three waves and receive 372 usable responses. The empirical results of PLS-SEM suggest that big data analytics have a positive effect on a sustainable product development and sustainable product development has a positive and significant impact on organizational performance. Moreover, mediation of a sustainable program development is also confirmed between big data analytics and organizational performance. The managerial and theoretical implications of these results are discussed.
1 November 2021 in Psychology Research and Behavior Management
Purpose: In Pakistan, medical professionals face multiple challenges comprising long, fixed working hours and workload overburdening, which leads to emotional fatigue. These conflicts in work–life scenarios, brought about by high work demands causing emotional exhaustion, can create a state of distress among the medical professionals. The present study investigates the association between work–family conflict (WFC), emotional intelligence (EI), and self-efficacy (SE) among medical practitioners during COVID-19 in Pakistan. Patients and Methods: The study sample included 140 medical professionals from Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Cross-section correlational research design was used, and information was gathered employing online surveys through a purposive sampling technique. The scales utilized were the WFC, EI, and SE Scale. Results: The current study hypothesized a significant relationship between work–family conflict, general self-efficacy (GSE) and emotional intelligence among medical practitioners during COVID-19 in Pakistan. The results showed that those with more family-to-work conflict had less EI and GSE. Furthermore, findings uncovered that there is a significant positive relationship between EI and GSE. Conclusion: The findings propose that it is important for medical professionals to have a high level of EI and GSE to navigate through the WFC more healthily. In future, awareness seminars could be arranged related to EI and its significance to stimulate the psychological well-being of medical professionals. Future studies could also consider other healthcare workers, including nurses and internees doing house jobs and other medical staff, as they are also exposed to several stresses due to the workload and family demands.
Foreign students’ satisfaction with the service quality of Chinese universities is essential for the sustainable internationalization of China’s higher education system. The present study employs a survey research method to bring in the foreign students’ perspective of the various aspects of service quality in seven key Chinese universities. Accordingly, 618 valid questionnaires were analyzed using descriptive statistics, principal component analysis (PCA), and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The study findings posit that, although foreign students affirm that teachers are supportive and well qualified, they have concerns about the English proficiency of instructors. Likewise, foreign students were not satisfied with the frequency of formal research meetings with their advisers and the assistance with research techniques and relevant literature sources. Overall, female foreign students were less satisfied than their male counterparts. Moreover, foreign students reported higher satisfaction from teaching services and learning resources, moderate satisfaction from advisory services, and meager satisfaction from the administrative and support services of their respective Chinese institutions. Besides, we found significant differences between sample Chinese universities on various constructs of service quality. Likewise, arts and social sciences students were less satisfied with the service quality of the institution as compared to their natural sciences and engineering counterparts. The policy implications of this research for various stakeholders are discussed.