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1 – 10 of over 28000Ömer Demir and Süleyman Sadi Seferoğlu
The lack of a reliable and valid measurement tool for coding achievement emerges as a major problem in Turkey. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop a Scratch-based…
Abstract
Purpose
The lack of a reliable and valid measurement tool for coding achievement emerges as a major problem in Turkey. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop a Scratch-based coding achievement test.
Design/methodology/approach
Initially, an item pool with 31 items was created. The item pool was classified within the framework of Bayman and Mayer’s (1988) types of coding knowledge to support content validity of the test. Then the item pool was applied to 186 volunteer undergraduates at Hacettepe University during the spring semester of the 2017-2018 academic year. Subsequently, the item analysis was conducted for construct validity of the test.
Findings
In all, 13 items were discarded from the test, leaving a total of 18 items. Out of the 18-item version of the coding achievement test, 4, 5 and 9 items measured syntactic, conceptual and strategic knowledge, respectively, among the types of coding knowledge. Furthermore, average item discrimination index (0.531), average item difficulty index (0.541) and Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient (0.801) of the test were calculated.
Practical implications
Scratch users, especially those who are taking introductory courses at Turkish universities, could benefit from a reliable and valid coding achievement test developed in this study.
Originality/value
This paper has theoretical and practical value, as it provides detailed developmental stages of a reliable and valid Scratch-based coding achievement test.
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Youngkyun Baek, Dazhi Yang and Yibo Fan
This study aims to investigate the relationship between the personal traits and computational thinking skills of second graders within the context of robotics activities.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the relationship between the personal traits and computational thinking skills of second graders within the context of robotics activities.
Design/methodology/approach
Through literature review, a research model and hypotheses were tested with 122 second graders after robotic activities.
Findings
The hypothesized model showed that learning preference, intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy were the main predictors of coding achievement and computational thinking skills, while no direct relationship was found between learning preference, intrinsic or extrinsic motivation. The final path analysis revealed that intrinsic and extrinsic motivation predict self-efficacy, self-efficacy predicts coding achievement and coding achievement predicts computational thinking skills. Another important finding was the strong impact of self-efficacy on coding achievement, as well as computational thinking skills. Results are interpreted with reference to implications for potential methods of improving computational thinking skills when using robotics in the lower grades in elementary schools.
Research limitations/implications
This study not only examined these relationships but also proposed, tested and built a research model containing a wide range of personal traits based on path analysis and multiple regression analysis, which, to the best of the researchers’ knowledge, has not been investigated in the current literature.
Practical implications
As reflected in the final research model, self-efficacy played an important role in impacting second grader’s coding achievement and computational thinking skills.
Originality/value
Few studies have investigated the various relationships in the context of robotics instruction in elementary schools as in this study. Given the increasing popularity of robotics education in elementary schools, the re-examination and identification of the pivotal role of self-efficacy in predicting second graders’ learning of coding and computational thinking skills have important implications for the implementation of robotics education.
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Zana Khan, Philip Haine and Samantha Dorney-Smith
Homeless people experience extreme health inequalities and high rates of morbidity and mortality (Aldridge et al., 2017). Use of primary care services are low, while emergency…
Abstract
Purpose
Homeless people experience extreme health inequalities and high rates of morbidity and mortality (Aldridge et al., 2017). Use of primary care services are low, while emergency healthcare use is high (Mathie, 2012; Homeless Link, 2014). Duration of admission has been estimated to be three times longer for homeless patients who often experience poor hospital discharge arrangements (Mathie, 2012; Homeless Link, 2014). This reflects ongoing and unaddressed care and housing needs (Blackburn et al., 2017). The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper reveals how GPs employed in secondary care, as part of Pathway teams, support improved health and housing outcomes and safe transfer of care into community services. It draws on published literature on role of GPs in working with excluded groups, personal experience of working as a GP in secondary care, structured interviews with Pathway GPs and routine data collected by the team to highlight key outcomes.
Findings
The expertise of GPs is highlighted and includes holistic assessment, management of multimorbidity or “tri-morbidity” – the combination of addictions problems, mental illness and physical health (Homeless Link, 2014; Stringfellow et al., 2015) and research and teaching.
Originality/value
The role of the GP in the care of patients with complex needs is more visible in primary care. This paper demonstrates some of the ways in which in-reach GPs play an important role in the care of multiply excluded groups attending and admitted to secondary care settings.
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Godwell Nhamo, Charles Nhemachena, Senia Nhamo, Vuyo Mjimba and Ivana Savić
Julie Brueckner, Janine Bosak and Jonas W.B. Lang
This study examined gender differences in CEOs' expression of implicit achievement, power and affiliation motivation. Building on the role congruity account of sex differences and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examined gender differences in CEOs' expression of implicit achievement, power and affiliation motivation. Building on the role congruity account of sex differences and similarities in motivation and existing literature on implicit motives, the study tested whether female CEOs would express higher affiliation motivation than male CEOs and similar levels of achievement motivation. In addition, gender differences in power motivation were explored.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used propensity score matching to generate a comparable sample of male and female CEOs from publicly traded companies. Subsequently, the authors content-coded CEO letters from annual reports using Winter's (1994) manual for scoring motive imagery in running text.
Findings
Overall, CEOs expressed more achievement and power motivation than affiliation motivation. Comparisons between male and female CEOs showed that female CEOs expressed lower power and higher affiliation motivation than male CEOs.
Research limitations/implications
By integrating implicit motive theory with social role theory and the role congruity account of motivation, this study provides a theoretical framework and novel demonstration that understanding social roles and gender roles can lend insights into motive expression by CEOs.
Originality/value
The study uses established theory and a validated scoring method in a novel way by analyzing implicit motives from CEO letters, a critical communication channel in the CEO–shareholder relationship. In doing so, this study adopts a sociocultural perspective. Informed by the role congruity account of motivation, the study demonstrates the importance of social roles and gender roles for motivational displays.
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Chau‐kiu Cheung and Andrew Chi‐fai Chan
Because of the paucity of information about what and how Chinese leadership styles contribute to organizational success, this study aims to elucidate Chinese leadership styles…
Abstract
Purpose
Because of the paucity of information about what and how Chinese leadership styles contribute to organizational success, this study aims to elucidate Chinese leadership styles with reference to Confucian and Daoist schemata, relate them to organizational success, and explicate the relationships by exploring a grounded theory.
Design/methodology/approach
To obtain such knowledge, this study applies a grounded theory approach to analyzing interview data from 11 Hong Kong Chinese CEOs.
Findings
Results delineated the Chinese leadership styles based on relationship building, virtuous practice, hierarchical and centralized organization, and humility and self‐effacement. These practices were conducive to trust, cooperation, competence, and other achievements in the staff. The contributions of the Chinese leadership styles tend to reflect a security theory in that sustaining followers' security appears to mediate leadership practices and their outcomes.
Originality/value
Because the tradition of Confucian and Daoist teachings can be a basis for successful Chinese leadership styles, the teachings can still be valuable for leadership development today.
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Mai Skjott Linneberg and Steffen Korsgaard
Qualitative research has gained in importance in the social sciences. General knowledge about qualitative data analysis, how to code qualitative data and decisions concerning…
Abstract
Purpose
Qualitative research has gained in importance in the social sciences. General knowledge about qualitative data analysis, how to code qualitative data and decisions concerning related research design in the analytical process are all important for novice researchers. The purpose of this paper is to offer researchers who are new to qualitative research a thorough yet practical introduction to the vocabulary and craft of coding.
Design/methodology/approach
Having pooled, their experience in coding qualitative material and teaching students how to code, in this paper, the authors synthesize the extensive literature on coding in the form of a hands-on review.
Findings
The aim of this paper is to provide a thorough yet practical presentation of the vocabulary and craft of coding. The authors, thus, discuss the central choices that have to be made before, during and after coding, providing support for novices in practicing careful and enlightening coding work, and joining in the debate on practices and quality in qualitative research.
Originality/value
While much material on coding exists, it tends to be either too comprehensive or too superficial to be practically useful for the novice researcher. This paper, thus, focusses on the central decisions that need to be made when engaging in qualitative data coding in order to help researchers new to qualitative research engage in thorough coding in order to enhance the quality of their analyses and findings, as well as improve quantitative researchers’ understanding of qualitative coding.
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This study aimed to investigate the learning strategies adopted by Saudi university students and explore the differences in the use of learning strategies due to gender and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed to investigate the learning strategies adopted by Saudi university students and explore the differences in the use of learning strategies due to gender and academic achievement.
Design/methodology/approach
The study utilized a cross-sectional descriptive analytic approach and adopted the brief “ACRA-C” learning strategies scale. The study sample consisted of 365 students enrolled at a Saudi university selected using the random clustering technique.
Findings
The study revealed that microstrategies and study habits are the most preferred strategies by Saudi university students. Statistically significant differences in the use of learning strategies were found between male and female students in favor of the female students. The study also found that learning strategies are a significant predictor of students' academic achievement.
Research limitations/implications
The study was limited to one college in one Saudi university. Future studies should use larger samples from different colleges and universities in Saudi Arabia and incorporate a variety of measures of academic achievement, such as students' grades in specific courses rather than the overall grade average.
Originality/value
While there are a number of studies that investigated the use of learning strategies by students, there is a lack of such research in the higher education context of Saudi Arabia. Hence, the current study contributes to closing this gap in the literature by looking at the use of learning strategies by university students in Saudi Arabia and the relationship between strategy use, gender and academic achievement.
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Advancements in information technology and graphics software mean that colour graphics are an increasingly important part of the communication of business operations and corporate…
Abstract
Advancements in information technology and graphics software mean that colour graphics are an increasingly important part of the communication of business operations and corporate reporting. Unfortunately, the research literature on the effects of colour graphics on decision performance is sparse, and lends only limited and qualified support to the claims often made for colour coded graphics. There has been no research in the accounting environment of the impact of non‐redundant colour graphics (i.e. those not complemented by numerical or pattern support) on decision‐making performance. The existing literature suggests that gender, task complexity, field dependence and time constraints will all impact on the effectiveness of the use of colour, so this paper reports the results of a laboratory experiment designed to assess the interaction effects of non‐redundant colour coding in bar charts with information complexity, and with gender. A multivariate bankruptcy prediction decision is the task environment. Non‐redundant coding, rather than redundant coding, is used in this paper, to force subjects to use the actual colour coding in their decisions and in order to evaluate the effects of colour coding more fully. The results suggest that proponents of colour graphics must qualify their claims. Colour graphics improve decision making, though their impact is significant only when information complexity is low, and then for female subjects only.
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