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The objectives of this study were to determine coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination hesitancy and influencing factors in China, while broadening the applicability of the Vaccine Hesitancy Scale (VHS). A cross-sectional survey was conducted in China from 4th to 26th February 2021. Convenience sampling method was adopted to recruit participants. A total of 2,361 residents filled out the questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis was used on the validation set to confirm the latent structure that resulted from the exploratory factor analysis, which was conducted on the construction set. Multiple linear regression model analyses were used to identify significant associations between the identified the revised version of VHS subscales and hypothesized explanatory variables. Two subscales were identified within the VHS through data analysis, including "lack of confidence in the need for vaccines" and "aversion to the risk of side effects." The results indicated that the hesitancy of the participants in our sample was both driven the two mainly aspects. In addition, more than 40% of the participants expressed hesitation in half of the items in VHS. This study characterized COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in China, and identified disparities in vaccine hesitancy by socio-demographic groups and knowledge about the vaccine. Knowledge of the vaccine was statistically linked to respondents' answers to the clustered 'lack of confidence' and 'risks perception' items. Our results characterize Chinese citizens' COVID-19 vaccine concerns and will inform targeted health communications.

Purpose We aim to test whether resilience mediates the association of fear of progression (FoP) with quality of life (QoL) among ovarian cancer patients in China. Methods We collected 230 questionnaires from the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University in Liaoning Province, and 209 completed the questionnaire survey. The survey instrument consisted of four questionnaires: a sociodemographic and clinical characteristics questionnaire, the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy general instrument, the Fear of Progression Questionnaire-Short Form and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to examine the relationship among FoP, resilience, and QoL, including physical well-being, social well-being, emotional well-being, and functional well-being. We used asymptotic and resampling strategies to examine the indirect effect of resilience. Results FoP was negatively associated with resilience (r=-0.543, P

Awareness of her workplace entitlements augments a migrant worker’s ability to assert her employment rights. Using an original survey instrument, we construct a composite index of workplace...

This paper reports the findings of a study conducted in Hong Kong on the value position of the social service providers regarding user participation in service management. Using a survey instrument...

This study examined the nature and extent of the involvement of Turkish fathers in the lives of their preschool aged children. A survey instrument was developed and administered to a sample of 84 Turkish fathers of preschool aged children. The survey was designed to measure the amount of time that fathers and children spend together, the types of activities they engage in, and factors that could be related to father involvement (e.g. age, education, income, and work hours). The findings suggest that fathers’ occupation type, monthly income, number of years they have been married, number of children in the family, and fathers’ work hours are associated with the nature and extent of their involvement with their children. The results are discussed with reference to fathers’ accessibility, responsibility and engagement.

Although neighborhood factors have been consistently associated with health, technological difficulties in eliciting self-defined neighborhoods from large cohorts have compromised the interpretabil...

This study explores the use of a survey instrument relating to feedback within the organizational context to measure student perceptions of peer feedback in a speech workshop activity condu...

This study sought to evaluate a new stated-preference instrument to prioritize multiple treatment goals among people with recent onset schizophrenia.A draft survey instrument was developed to assess preferences for 13 key treatment goals that were identified based on the literature. The survey incorporates best-worst scaling (BWS), which shows repeated subsets comprising 4 of the 13 goals, and respondents identify which is most important and which is least important to them. Pre-test interviews were conducted in the UK, Italy, and Germany among people aged 18 to 35 diagnosed with schizophrenia within the past 5 years. Specifically, participants completed the instrument online in their native language, followed by a telephone interview to provide feedback on the clarity, relevance, and comprehensiveness of the survey. The interview data were analyzed to assess interpretation and content validity of the survey.Fifteen participants (five per country) provided feedback (mean age = 31; 60% male). Feedback was comparable across countries and confirmed that the key treatment goals assessed were relevant and meaningful. Probing by interviewers ascertained that respondents interpreted the questions appropriately and identified the treatment goals that were most and least important to them. Based on the characterization of the goals, a conceptual model was developed illustrating hypothesized associations among them.The results confirm that the BWS methodology and key treatment goals in this new instrument are appropriate for use in recent onset schizophrenia. These results will help guide measurement of patient-relevant endpoints in future studies.

This study explored institutional governance in an Alabama public two-year community college and investigated the perceptions of faculty and administrators within this sector. To answer the research questions for this study, a quantitative cross-sectional survey utilizing inferential analysis of the collected data was employed. To analyze the perceptions of Alabama community college faculty members and administrators regarding their interactions in institutional governance, three quantitative research questions were used. The research questions were analyzed based upon participant responses from the survey instrument. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was the statistical method used to determine if any significant differences in perception existed between faculty and administrators. The results of the study revealed that a significant difference existed between faculty and administrator perceptions with respect to institutional structure and shared governance, but no significant difference existed betw...

Three thousand, one hundred sixty students involved in online instruction at 31 colleges and universities across the United States completed a survey designed to probe into whether statements derived from 8 standards in the Quality MattersTM (QM) rubric contributed to their success. The 43-item survey instrument measured students’ perceptions of online course quality. The effect of age and employment status on their perceptions was measured. Based on a series of ANOVA (analysis of variance)s, it was found that the highest rated standard was QM3 on Assessment and Measurement. There were significant differences between age groups. Students under 45, contrasted to those over 45, highly valued clarity and appropriateness of assessments and clear criteria for grading. For students above the age of 45, QM6 on Course Technology was valued highest. They placed a high value on the tools and media that support learning objectives and classmate interactivity. QM3 was rated highest across all employment group...

As accessibility of technology, availability of information, and ability to interact through the Internet increase and evolve, more people are gravitating toward increasing their use of the Internet. Although the number of Internet banking users has grown rapidly in recent years, not all customers are ready to accept mobile banking services. It remains a challenge for banks to explore how to attract more customers to adopt the use of banking services via a mobile channel. This study examines the factors that impact acceptance of the use of mobile banking. A total of 309 subjects participated in this study. Data were collected via a survey instrument. A multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the data. Findings suggest factors that banks should consider when implementing mobile banking services, thus allowing them to design services that meet the needs of their customers.

The aim of the study is to examine the key service quality attributes that affect Korean consumers’ loyalty toward McDonald’s in Korea. A survey instrument was developed to examine the key service quality attributes that influenc Korean consumers’ loyalty. The surveys were distributed to Korean college students. The results of the study suggest that social place and employee service quality are the two major dimensions that significantly affect Korean respondents’ intent to return to McDonald’s. Interestingly, convenience, value, and food quality were not found to be major dimensions that impact Korean respondents’ intention to return to McDonald’s. This finding is starkly different from the common belief that McService is based on value and covenience, as emphasized by McDonald’s value statements. The results of the study suggests that Korean consumers view McDonald’s as a social gathering place and expect high service quality from McDonald’s.

The 2016 cohort of first-year engineering undergraduates, arranged in groups of about 20, consisted of eight groups with at least one-third females, five groups with one or two females and sixteen male-only groups. The groups had a common timetable for all lectures, workshops, tutorials and laboratories for eight core units. The hypothesis was groups with a higher proportion of females would enable female students to self-select small groups of gender parity or majority for teamwork activities in classrooms. Furthermore, these small groups would be microenvironments supportive of female verbal participation and engagement whilst minimising discrimination. Qualitative and quantitative data collection from classroom observations preceded quantitative data collection using a survey instrument and student and learning analytics data. Whilst acknowledging the limitations of the research and complexity of interacting factors, including those from pre-university that were outside the scope of the researc...

This study is based on quantitative research aiming to propose a comprehensive understanding of the determinants of women’s exposures to sex trafficking in Poland. For this study, interviews were conducted with 96 female victims and survivors of human trafficking in Poland to comprehend the current trends and patterns of cross-border trafficking of victims in Poland and the major areas of trafficking for sex-based exploitation within the current international security debate. While the survey instrument was primarily focused on demographic characteristics; a number of socio-economic questions were also asked to the respondents. The study identified some priorities that Poland should address to tackle the issue of trafficking – recognizing, protecting and supporting victims of trafficking; hastening the prevention of trafficking in human beings; better coordination and cooperation among key informants and policy coherence; and improved knowledge of and effective response to emerging concerns relate...

This study served to investigate how information literacy instruction can alleviate information anxiety in online learners. While there has been much research to demonstrate that hands-on or activity-based learning is beneficial in reducing library anxiety, those studies have not been conducted for the online classroom. Using a required, first-semester course in the University of Southern California's School of Social Work online program, this study hypothesized that activity-based online library instruction sessions will result in a measurable reduction of information anxiety. Using a pre- and post-session survey instrument, this study discovered that activity-based instruction for online students may not be as effective in reducing information anxiety as previous research suggested.

This article investigates how perceived enjoyment and mobility drive user continuance intentions toward using mobile applications. A second-stage continuance model was developed after a thorough literature review. A survey instrument was deployed to collect data from 584 smartphone users. The model was empirically tested using structural equation modeling procedures. Data analyses show that the salience of disconfirmation and beliefs in enjoyment and mobility serve as the primary driver of the changes in satisfaction and attitude toward continuance intentions. Furthermore, perceived enjoyment, mobility and satisfaction jointly explained over 60% of the variance in post-usage attitude. As an initial effort to revise and test the expanded IS continuance model, this study deepens our understanding of enjoyment and mobility at post-usage stage of mobile experience. It urges mobile application providers to forge continuance by devoting more resources and efforts toward creating a truly enjoyable as wel...

This study examined Antalya residents’ perceptions of the impacts of all-inclusive resorts (AIRs) in the Turkish coastal destination. Perceptions were examined to determine if they significantly differed across residential demographics. All told, 660 residents completed the on-site, self-administered survey instrument. Exploratory factor analysis of the Perceptions of All-Inclusive Resorts (PAIR) Scale revealed four unique factors (e.g. three focused on negative impacts and one on positive impacts). In four of the five multiple analysis of variance models, significant differences in PAIR factors were found among residents. Results revealed that residents who were male, older, employed in the tourism industry and less educated perceived AIR impacts more negatively. Results are explained through the social exchange theory and practical implications, along with future research opportunities, are offered.

This study investigated the personal, environmental, and activity barriers to leisure-time physical activities (LTPAs) among individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). A survey instrument was administered to 85 participants with SCI. Personal barriers to LTPAs included issues involving motivation, pain, scheduling, and financial resources. Environmental barriers marked the issues regarding availability and accessibility to specialized programs, activities, and professional services. Activity barriers included limitations in equipment, training, and personal skills required by the selected activities. Significant negative correlations were found between these barriers and the levels of physical activity and satisfaction with physical activity. While working with clients with SCI, occupational therapists should identify those LTPA barriers and possible solutions in order to establish individualized action plans for enhancing participation in LTPAs.

A comprehensive survey of Australian professional archaeologists undertaken in 2015 is used to explore key aspects and emerging trends in the state of the archaeological profession in Australia. Comparisons are made with data collected using the same survey instrument in 2005 and 2010 to allow consideration of longer-term disciplinary trends related to working conditions, changing participation and access, trends in qualifications and workplace confidence and re-evaluating skills gaps identified in previous surveys. Substantial changes in the archaeological workplace are identifiable with deterioration in employment conditions and an increasingly casualised workforce, contrasting with a growth in professionalisation observed through an increasingly qualified workforce. Restructuring of the discipline observed in previous surveys, showing increases in Indigenous archaeology and a corresponding decrease in other subfields, are less pronounced. Survey data demonstrate the Australian archaeological wo...

Science education reforms worldwide call on teachers to engage students in investigative approaches to instruction, like inquiry. Studies of teacher self-reported enactment indicate that inquiry is used frequently in the classroom, suggesting a high level of proficiency with inquiry that would be amenable to inquiry reform. However, it is unclear whether the high frequency of self-report is based on sound knowledge inquiry. In the absence of sound knowledge, high rates of self-reported enactment would be suspect. We conducted a study to measure teachers’ knowledge of inquiry as it related to the known, high frequency of reported enactment. We developed a multidimensional survey instrument using US reform documents and administered it to 149 K–12 teachers at a national science teachers’ conference. The majority of the teachers surveyed did not report inquiry enactment based on well-structured knowledge of inquiry. Interviews with participants showed how teachers could readily map non-inquiry activi...

A central question in the research utilisation literature is what happens to research evidence once it is produced. In social work, this has frequently translated to questions of whether and how social workers use research in practice. Despite these questions, relatively little is known about the ways in which research comes to be used in social work practice. This paper reports on a study of research utilisation in social work, which examined researchers’ perceptions of the factors impacting on research use in social work. The specific focus of this study was on the impact of interaction between researchers and practitioners on research use in practice. The study replicated a scale used in prior studies on knowledge utilisation to collect data from 60 Australian researchers publishing in social work journals, all of whom reported some level of research use by practitioners. Key variables were coproduction, engagement, and research utilisation. Implications for future use of the survey instrument ...

Prevention-through-design (PtD) is a new initiative to reduce occupational risks by developing lower-risk tools, equipment, methods, and materials. Once PtD innovations have been developed, the challenge is to have them adopted by industry. A theory-based intervention involving the creation of “technology champions” to improve construction firm adoption of a PtD innovation was developed, implemented, and tested. Technology Champions were created in firms through a methodology entitled “enhanced trialability.” In a controlled pre-test/post-test experimental design, firm decision-maker (n=40) readiness to adopt the PtD innovation was assessed using a validated survey instrument. Enhanced trialability was successful in producing technology champions. Also, gain-score t-test analysis found significant improvements in ‘innovation adoption readiness’ among firms with technology champions, when compared to firms with no technology champions (p = .01). This intervention can be used by future researchers a...

Due to the important impact that biotechnology has on current Western societies, well-informed critical citizens are needed. People prepared to make conscious decisions about aspects of biotechnology that relate to their own lives. Teachers play a central role in all education systems. Thus, the biotechnological literacy of preservice teachers is an important consideration as they will become an influential collective as future teachers of the next generation of children. The attitudes toward science (and biotechnology) that teachers have affect their behavior and influence the way they implement their daily practice of science teaching in school. This study analyzes the attitudes and knowledge of Spanish preservice teachers toward biotechnology. We designed a new survey instrument that was completed by 407 university students who were taking official degree programs in preschool and primary education. Our results point out that although they are aware of biotechnology applications, topics concerning the ...

The article is aimed at evaluating the relationships existing between physical activity of manual workers from Wroclaw and their socio-economic status. The survey completed in 2013 comprised 844 persons (300 women and 544 men), aged from 21 to 60 years. A method of diagnostic poll was used to assess physical activity, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire in a short version was used as the survey instrument, with the form expanded by characteristics of socio-economic status. Most of surveyed Wroclaw residents were making physical effort sufficient to achieve health benefits. Moreover, the probability of meeting physical activity standards defined by the World Health Organization was highest for people between 21 and 30 years of age, with secondary education, whose monthly gross income per person in a household did not exceed PLN 1000. The survey has shown the existence of physical activity relationships with such characteristics of socio-economic status of surveyed persons as age, ...

For port managers seeking to serve the needs of the beneficial cargo owners, understanding the factors critical to their evaluation of the port’s customer service delivery is of critical importance. This research examined service delivery effectiveness as perceived by cargo owners and agents in seven North American container ports, with more than 250 000 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) in volume. Using an Internet survey instrument, the study finds negligible differences in stated requirements of ports between cargo owners and cargo agents (as indicated by importance scores) but significant differences between the two segments in the influence that the individual criterion has on the performance scores ports receive and on the size and nature of performance gaps. Importance-performance gap (I-P Gap) analysis provides slightly different guidance than does determinance analysis, indicating that there is a need for both approaches and a method for reconciling different outcomes.

The study examines what motivates an individual to engage in a serious leisure activity and the depth of the satisfaction derived through participation. The study examines the topic through the lens of home craft beer brewers filtered through Stebbins’ serious leisure construct (1982). The data were collected through a yearlong immersion with a local brewing club chapter, extensive in-depth interviews with two key informants, and a survey instrument (n = 4207) that collected both quantitative and qualitative data. The results elaborate on Stebbins’ construct and provide deep description of the fulfilment and resonance that participation in and commitment to a serious leisure activity provides. The respondent data were coded into five broad themes: restoration, intellectual absorption, social, creative outlet, and self-actualization. These findings provide tangible support to Stebbins’ assertion that individuals can find fulfilment, purpose, and deep meaning to what may otherwise be a life devoid of meaning.

This study examined the utilisation of multicultural music education by Malaysian music teachers, with an emphasis on the relationship between music teachers’ attitudes and their subsequent degree of effort in developing and implementing multicultural music education in their music classes. Respondents for the study were 456 music teachers; responses were collected via an adapted version of the original Music Specialist’s Multicultural Music Education Survey instrument. Results indicate that there is limited implementation of multicultural music education in music classrooms due to inadequate preparation and limited resources and insufficient knowledge of multicultural music. As such, music teacher training programmes are needed in order to address both the theoretical and practical aspects of multicultural music education throughout the curriculum in a comprehensive and long-term manner.

Student experience surveys have become increasingly popular to probe various aspects of processes and outcomes in higher education, such as measuring student perceptions of the learning environment and identifying aspects that could be improved. This paper reports on a particular survey for evaluating individual experiments that has been developed over some 15 years as part of a large national Australian study pertaining to the area of undergraduate laboratories—Advancing Science by Enhancing Learning in the Laboratory. This paper reports on the development of the survey instrument and the evaluation of the survey using student responses to experiments from different institutions in Australia, New Zealand and the USA. A total of 3153 student responses have been analysed using factor analysis. Three factors, motivation, assessment and resources, have been identified as contributing to improved student attitudes to laboratory activities. A central focus of the survey is to provide feedback to practitioners ...

This study evaluates the extent to which academic institutions and their curricula are internationalised in the US. The survey instrument incorporates variables that assess the students’ globalisation skills related to international awareness, international competency and international expertise. Generally, findings suggest that a large proportion of students in the US glean their international learning experiences from course-infused content. This allows them to develop international awareness and competency skills, but fall short of the international expertise skills. Furthermore, the probability that students will be exposed to international or cross-cultural learning experiences increases as they advance in their various programmes.

This paper documents the creation, implementation and analysis of a survey instrument designed to reveal patterns of use and attitudes towards the value of social media by UK teachers. The study was motivated to discover which teachers use social media professionally, how they use it (both personally and professionally) and attitudes to social media as a professional tool (for their students' and their own professional use). The instrument was created from verbal data from two focus group discussions regarding the use of social media in education. Attitude statements were included verbatim when practical. This instrument was placed online and practising teachers invited to complete it (n = 216). Exploratory factor analysis and hierarchical clustering identified 9 factors from 54 attitude statements and 5 distinct teacher groups. The rich data allowed each group to be carefully defined, providing potentially invaluable information to school leaders when developing social media projects to recognize and acc...

This study seeks to test a research framework designed to explain the direct effects of fashion brand love, image and excitement upon word of mouth in two different contexts. Using data collected from two different countries (the United Kingdom and Switzerland), the survey instrument was tested for reliability and validity using confirmatory factor analysis. Hypotheses were then developed related to the consumer-brand relationship across the two countries, which were then tested using structural equation modeling. The findings showed that there is a significant relationship between excitement and brand image, brand love and word of mouth. This is particularly true in both samples. The impact of brand image on word of mouth was not found to be significant in the two countries in the study. The primary limitation of the study is that the two sampled countries were European. Additionally, the results of the study present a preliminary investigation that can only be validated through further research. The stu...

While there is a growing reserve of evidence-based practices (EBPs) available to practitioners, much can be learned about how to implement EBPs in real-world settings. Evidence of the effects of a widely disseminated student engagement intervention, CheckConnect (CC), is emerging yet little is known about the implementation of CC in community-based settings. The purpose of the authors in this study was to examine practitioner attitudes and perspectives related to the CC intervention and implementation to gain an understanding of core implementation components that facilitated or impeded implementation. A researcher-developed survey instrument was used to assess practitioner attitudes related to the CC model and implementation among 14 school-based practitioners working in a dropout prevention program. Findings indicate that practitioners were highly positive about the CC intervention and in their attitudes about implementing EBPs. Benefits of CC identified by practitioners included increased relationship building with students, tracking students on a consistent and timely basis, and addressing attendance issues as a main focus of treatment. The most common implementation challenges were time constraints, paperwork, and targeting absentee students. These findings contribute to the emerging literature on CC and the implementation of EBPs in schools and community-based settings.

The current study seeks to examine how teachers plan teaching sequences to teach chemical bonding in the senior secondary phase of schooling. The study employs a learning demand tool as interpretive framework. A mixed method was used to guide the collection of data. Data were collected through a survey instrument with 227 practising physical science teachers and through follow-up interviews with 11 of these teachers. The findings indicate that physical science teachers are in agreement that the topic is difficult to teach and learn. They report using mainly curriculum documents rather than other resources such as textbooks to inform their decisions about sequencing. An encouraging sign is that many teachers, if given the choice, would use teaching sequences that are similar to those suggested by recent research, that is, bottom–up approaches starting with the microscopic (attractive forces between atoms) and then moving towards the macroscopic (substances and their properties). However, teachers do not ap...

Although studies have shown that supplemental instruction (SI) programs can have positive effects in introductory accounting courses, these programs experience low participation rates. Thus, our study is the first to examine the factors leading to student participation in SI programs. We do this through a survey instrument based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. Our study shows that students' attitudes toward the sessions affect their intent to participate in them. This attitude is influenced by students' perceptions that the sessions can help them in various ways. Results also show that influential others can influence student intent to participate in SI sessions. We also note that students' perceptions of the amount of personal control that they have over going to SI sessions have no effect on their participation in the sessions. We discuss how these findings can be leveraged to increase SI participation rates.

In this article, we explore the role of local production as an attribute in consumer preferences for beef and attempt to quantify consumers’ purchasing behavior with respect to changes in price. We develop and employ a survey instrument using a randomly selected sample of consumers in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho. Using data from the survey, we use conjoint analysis to estimate own-price elasticities of demand for beef produced using different production technologies and at different distances from purchase site to place of origin. Results show that consumer demand for beef and beef products is highly elastic, and the implications of this for producers and marketers are explored.

This study develops and validates Time Constraints Scale (TCS) within South Korean market. Based on focus group interviews, a survey instrument for TCS that measures an individual's propensity in time constraints in overseas holidays has been developed. The validation process of the TCS includes statistical tests of principal component analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). TCS was further tested through its measurement model and its convergent and discriminant validity, identifying three major factors in understanding Korean tourists. The main traits in the developed TCS of the current study underscore the Confucian heritage and high-context cultural base of the South Korean market. This cultural base subsequently leads to market implications for other East Asian tourist markets such as Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese, among others. Theoretical and industry implications of the TCS are elaborated and direction for future research is provided.

This study is aimed to assess and compare the status of quality management (QM) practices in the manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Australia and the UK, and to develop better insights into the use of and benefits from such QM practices. Furthermore, the intention was to identify the trends for adoption of advanced QM practices such as Lean and Six Sigma. A similar survey instrument was designed and tested in the two countries and data were analysed using SPSS and excel worksheet. The findings confirm that the adoption of Six Sigma is quite slow in Australian and the UK SMEs. ISO 9000 is the most popular QM initiatives in SMEs followed by the recent trend to implement Lean for streamlining business processes. Leadership is critical to the success of any QM practices such as Lean and Six Sigma. Networking with government bodies and academic institutions, and fact-based decision-making emerged as the two new critical success factors for implementing QM in SMEs. Significant improvemen...

This article presents a practical method for formative, self-reflective assessment of the liaison activities of individual librarians and to evaluate liaison activities in general. Many libraries evaluate their liaison programs, but few evaluate the effectiveness of individual librarians’ efforts within the program. Librarians of Rollins College redefined and re-branded their liaison program as “Your Librarian.” As part of this effort, the author surveyed the faculty and assessed the program and the effectiveness of individual librarians. The author outlines the liaison responsibilities, the survey instrument, and how the results are analyzed and used in a process of continuous reflective improvement for the program and librarians.

Wyoming Community College Commission policy currently states any student enrolled for more than 12 credit hours will be charged tuition for only 12 credit hours. This policy is referred to as the tuition cap. In November 2010, the commission discussed increasing the tuition cap to 15 credits. An increase from 12 to 15 credits would have represented a 25% increase in tuition for students enrolled for 15 or more credits. Casper College president Dr. Walter Nolte commissioned a study to examine the impact such an increase would have on Casper College and its students. A survey instrument was designed to determine if students carrying more than 12 credit hours would reduce their enrollment credits and what sources of funding they would seek to defray the increased cost. Using a multistage sampling design, a sample of 67 Casper College course sections was selected to respond to the survey. The data were analyzed with logistic regression models, and the estimates were adjusted using sampling weights and a finit...

This paper summarizes the views, obtained via a survey instrument created by the authors and reported in studies by Stout and Wygal, of 22 accounting educator teaching exemplars from Australia. Each of these individuals has been cited for teaching excellence through receipt of one or more formal teaching awards. The paper responds to calls in Australia for increased attention to the dimensions of teaching effectiveness and to initiatives in the United States calling for a broader sharing of information among members of the academy regarding the characteristics of teaching effectiveness. Little direct evidence from the field of accounting education is available to date regarding such characteristics or antecedents of teaching effectiveness in the student learning environment. Our research therefore extends in a fundamental way the work of Stice and Stocks and Stout and Wygal. Specifically, perceptions from a sample of award-winning non-US faculties regarding the ‘drivers of teaching effectiveness’ ...

Recently there has been growth in the home brewing of beer. The purpose of this exploratory study is to identify the motivational factors for becoming a home brewer and the motivational factors for continuing to participate in the home brewing activity. A mixed-mode study utilizing semi-structured interviews and a survey instrument was used to understand home brewer motivational factors. The results indicate that home brewers engage and continue to participate in the activity primarily because of intrinsic motivational factors of fun, excitement, and enjoyment, and to a lesser degree by extrinsic motivational factors of learning opportunities and non-monetary savings.

Critical thinking is an important outcome of a college education. Assessment techniques that require students to demonstrate their understanding of course concepts are referred to as authentic assessment and promote the development of critical thinking. Little research exists on the types of assessment and grading practices utilized by community college instructors. This research examined the incidence and nature of various assessment practices used by community college faculty for basing the course grade. In addition, the study also examined the percentage of course grades that was based on traditional and authentic assessment and factors that may influence the use of assessment techniques. To facilitate the study, an online survey instrument was used to obtain data from faculty employed at two community colleges in California. Study results revealed that a variety of assessment practices are used by community college instructors with differences in relation to faculty status, level of academic achieveme...

The gender-related challenges facing males entering the primary-school teaching profession have been well documented in the academic literature over recent decades. The majority of these data have come about through qualitative reports. Whilst qualitative methods provide important perspectives into these issues, the use of valid and reliable quantitative survey tools has received less attention. This paper discusses the construction, piloting, and subsequent tests for reliability and validity involved in developing a robust survey tool to measure the gender-related challenges faced by pre-service male primary teachers during their university study and professional experience in schools. Utilizing Senocak's four stages of survey development and Rasch modelling techniques, data analysis showed high levels of validity and reliability for the survey tool.

This study reports on a survey conducted regarding the outsourcing of digitization projects in Saudi libraries in order to determine the extent of outsourcing being done in such projects. The survey instrument included a questionnaire about the reasons that might affect the decision to outsource, the steps involved in the outsourcing process, the obstacles encountered by digitization projects during outsourcing, the materials being outsourced, and the criteria for choosing vendors. Digitization projects were also asked about contracting and quality control. The results indicate that outsourcing is a trend in Saudi digitization projects, as five out of nine major digitization projects that responded have outsourced. There also seems to be a correlation between better quality output and the experience levels of staff and the decision to outsource.

The purpose of our study was to evaluate the educational value of an annual Senior Scholars Forum (SSF) of graduating Emergency Medicine resident participants and attendees.This study was conducted at an urban academic medical center with a PGY1-4 year residency program. After completion of the 2nd annual SSF, a web-based survey instrument was sent to all resident and faculty attendees. The instrument was a 3-part tool adapted from previous studies on postgraduate scholarship. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.Forty-two of the 44 (95%) attendees completed the survey, including 100% of the PGY4 resident presenters. Prior to the SSF, 52% of respondents did not have a full understanding of senior scholarly activities. After the SSF, 67% reported an improved understanding and 88% had a better understanding of the scope of potential scholarly projects. Sixty-four percent reported the SSF introduced them to departmental resources available for completion of their own scholarly projects, and 69% would have liked to have heard the lessons communicated earlier in residency. Most (79%) agreed the SSF demonstrated the value of communal scholarly activities. Most senior residents (67%) felt most of the department would not know about their scholarship if they had not participated in the SSF.Our innovative SSF enhanced the scholarship process by allowing graduating senior residents an opportunity to share their scholarly productivity with a larger audience, provided attendees critical insights into the process of scholarship, and encouraged communal learning. Because the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and Residency Review Committee require all residents to participate in scholarly activity, other training programs may benefit from a similar educational experience.

There is little research examining the general attitudes or goals of police supervisors. In this study, a survey instrument was provided to a sample of over 400 police supervisors in attendance at the FBI’s National Academy. Respondents work in law enforcement agencies that range from very large to very small. Findings indicate that police supervisors having aggressive law enforcement attitudes were related to two goals: making arrests, and seizing guns and drugs. Those supervisors having community policing attitudes were negatively related to seizing guns and drugs. Supervisor characteristics provided little help in explaining variations in policing goals. Research implications will be discussed.

In Palestinian cities, urban parks are rare and their size is limited, comprising roughly 0.5 m2 per person in Palestine’s fastest growing city, Ramallah. Prior studies indicate that conventional planning, zoning, and standards-based approaches do not fully meet people’s needs for parks in urban settings. Hence, a needs-based approach was implemented in this study. A survey instrument was administered to a representative stratified sample composed of planners, professionals, and academics. The questionnaire was successfully administered to more than six hundred respondents (n= 650) and the results divulged a number of important points that will aid in future park and green space location, creation, and park utility. These findings included (a) overwhelming (perceived) need for more parks provided with facilities like playgrounds, water features, and relaxing areas; (b) a perception of uneven distribution of parks and facilities in urban settings; and (c) an increase in accessibility via roads and walking ...

Building upon autoethnographically generated data and Maslow's writings, a Spiritual Needs/Motivation/Volition Framework was constructed and subsequently validated via a sequential mixed-methods research design. A Likert-type survey instrument was developed and distributed to 139 undergraduate student respondents to quantitatively describe the relationships between the components of the framework. Respondents whose survey answers indicated that spirituality played a role in their lives were then invited to participate in one-on-one and focus group interviews to further clarify the relationships of the framework components and help develop a more phenomenological understanding of spirituality and its intersection with education.

There has been much research and discussion relating to variations in plagiaristic activity observed in students from different demographic backgrounds. Differences in behaviour have been noted in many studies, although the underlying reasons are still a matter of debate. Existing work focuses mainly on textual plagiarism, and most often derives results by studying (small) groups of overseas students studying in a Western context. This study investigates understanding of source-code plagiarism (i.e. plagiarism of computer programmes) amongst university students in China. The survey instrument was a Chinese translation of a survey previously administered in English in the UK. This paper reports the results of the exploratory survey conducted in China, and compares these results to those from a parallel survey conducted in the UK. The results show that there is a significant difference in understanding between the respondents from the two surveys, and suggest topics which a future and more comprehensive stu...

This study reports on the job satisfaction of faculty at American hospitality programs during challenging economic times. Data were collected from educators with a validated survey instrument. Two proposed models were examined using path analysis—one that linked financial exigency to job satisfaction and a second model with four variables mediating financial exigency and job satisfaction. The results showed that tenured faculty satisfaction was significantly affected by financial exigency but that nontenured faculty satisfaction was not affected. Further, only compensation and teaching load were significant mediators between financial exigency and job satisfaction. Implications for hospitality faculty and administrators are discussed.