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Online health communities (OHCs) can be complementary to healthcare systems to improve the health behaviors of older adults with chronic diseases. This study aims to examine the impacts of habit and social support receipt on older adults' continued participation in OHCs. Particularly, the authors discussed the influences of social support received in two ways: social support received by initiating threads (direct social support receipt) and social support received by being exposed to the threads initiated by others (indirect social support receipt).

Based on the dual-process model (i.e. conscious process and unconscious process), the authors developed the research model. Data from one of the biggest online diabetes communities in Europe were collected. Besides, we used the support vector machine algorithm for social support classification and used the Cox proportion hazards model for model validation.

Older adults' continued participation is influenced by habit and indirect informational support. Habit moderates the relationship between direct informational support receipt and older adults' continued participation. Furthermore, direct and indirect emotional support receipt are both not associated with older adults' continued participation, regardless of their habit strength.

This is the first study investigating older adults' continued participation in OHCs based on the dual-process model. The findings of this study reveal that older adults' continued participation is determined by both the habit and specific conscious evaluation of benefits based on the social support receipt.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of system-generated visual feedback and continued contribution on individuals’ motivation to share knowledge in a crowdsourcing environment.

An experimental setting was designed to investigate participants’ motivation to contribute knowledge in a crowdsourcing environment. Responses from a total of 101 participants were analyzed. The independent variables were visual feedback and time. The dependent variable was the participants’ self-expressed willingness to further contribute in the experimental knowledge-sharing activity.

A significant main effect of time was found, showing overall gains in the mean willingness to participate over time. It was also found that the mean willingness of the control and top assimilation groups were higher than the mean willingness of the rank contrast and status groups. The mean difference obtained for the control group was mainly during the first half of the knowledge-sharing tasks, while the mean difference obtained for the top assimilation group was mainly during the second half of the knowledge-sharing tasks.

This study contributes to the literature related to motivation in knowledge sharing by providing theory-based, empirical evidence of the potential for external interventions to improve willingness to contribute and sustain knowledge sharing. The findings additionally provide practical implications for motivating and sustaining knowledge sharing.

What effect does strategic frame adaptation have on movement continuation and popularity? Using a comprehensive online dataset from three North American cities, we show how SlutWalk’s continuous strategic adaptation of frames in response to criticisms and changing political and social climates has influenced its popularity over the past three years. SlutWalk’s initial “Shame-Blame” and “Slut Celebration” frames conveyed powerful messages that catalyzed protests and generated outrage mostly from young feminists during its formative phase. However, meanings of the term “slut” varied widely across racial, cultural, and generational contexts, causing the “Slut Celebration” frame to be problematic for some micro-cohorts of feminists and leading to a decline in protest participation after initial enthusiasm waned. The campaign responded to the criticisms by minimizing the use of the word “slut” and emphasizing the more transnationally resonant “Shame-Blame” and “Pro-sex, Pro-consent frames,” resulting in increased participation and continued prominence of the SlutWalk across North America.

The post‐World War ? period has been one of intense development activity throughout the world. Lesser developed countries have showed significant economic growth throughout this time‐span. Among the many consequences which are attributed to development, changes in gender relations are often mentioned. However, prior research has been unable to establish conclusively how economic development is related to gender inequality, particularly as this is referenced by women's participation in important economic activities. For example, some researchers have found that as development increases, women's participation in and return from the economy declines, others that it increases, and several have suggested it first declines then increases. Similar uncertainties exist about how an increasing emphasis on producing goods for export, and the often‐accompanying reliance on foreign investment, affects women's work. Recent research also suggests that the consequences of development are more diverse than previously thought. Recognition of the diversity requires greater specification of the links between developmental diversity and women's labor force participation.

Although there are a number of studies on the factors affecting the continuance usage intention for social network services (SNS), the studies on the integrated model encompassing SNS qualities (information, system, and service quality, and hedonic value, which are gratifications for SNS usage), flow, relationship quality (which are trust and satisfaction), and continuance intention are almost non-existent. Based on Bagozzi’s self-regulation framework, the IS success model, uses and gratification theory, and flow theory, the purpose of this paper is to examine the qualities and hedonic value of SNS, which have an influence on flow experience and relationship quality which are posited to affect the continuance usage intention.

This study used an e-mail survey method to collect 460 questionnaires for the final sample. The sample of the study includes college students or job workers who have experience in using SNS. Various user categories in terms of gender, school degree, occupation, usage years, and daily time of usage were included.

The study results show that system, service quality, and hedonic value have an impact on flow experience, information and service quality, and hedonic value influence the relationship quality of SNS. The flow experience and relationship quality while using SNS affect the continuance usage intention of SNS. This results show that the consideration of various SNS qualities, hedonic value, flow experience, and relationship quality is necessary to actively explore the factors for continuance usage intention for SNS.

IS managers trying to understand reuse intent can use surveys on information, system, and service quality, and hedonic value. Practitioners should constantly incorporate and develop various activities or useful applications to allow people to reach out to each other, to reinforce users’ attention, interaction, and increase social connections, trust, satisfaction, and further intensify users’ intention to use, increasing SNS value. The findings explain a mechanism through which SNS users’ continuance intention is built. Understanding this mechanism provides valuable information for practitioners to understand the qualities driving SNS users’ intention to revisit SNS.

This study sheds light on the existing literature on website usage that focuses on the design qualities as this paper has combined website quality perspective, i.e., information, system, and service quality, and hedonic value, and the flow and relationship perspective to investigate how these constructs would affect users’ intention to continuously use SNS. On the basis of four theories, Bagozzi’s self-regulation framework, IS success model, users and gratification theory, and flow theory, this study extended the previous studies on SNS by adding information, system, and service quality, hedonic value, flow and relationship quality as second-order constructs affecting continuance intention.

Proposes to provide a description of the factors that underlie retention and to develop a model of the process of retention.

A qualitative study was conducted in a selected number of occupational areas. Interviews were conducted with apprentices and trainees employed under a contract of training; apprentices/trainees who had recently completed their contract of training; employers/workplace supervisors and teachers/trainers.

Provides information about a range of factors and how they combined to shape the process of retention. Recognises that some of the identified factors are more amenable to interventions to enhance retention than others.

The study did not attempt to cover all occupations in which apprentices are employed, or to provide any ranking of importance of factors in relation to the retention process. The study encourages a holistic understanding of the process of retention and emphasises the dynamic nature of this process over the period of a contract of training.

A useful source of information for those concerned with designing interventions that target factors that are most amenable to promoting enhanced retention in apprenticeships.

This paper addresses the often neglected process of retention and offers some guidance in the design of interventions to promote retention in apprenticeships.

This monograph is on developments and trends in vocational education and training in Europe. An overview is given of what is being planned in Western Europe. This is illustrated by a detailed description of the educational systems of a selection of EC and non‐EC countries (Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Holland, Sweden and Switzerland), followed by discussion of the current provision for vocational education and training within those systems and also in commerce and industry. Also provided are additional information on the work of CEDEFOP and of the European Commission, further reading, useful addresses and a glossary of some European language vocational education terms.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight and examine public‐library‐based, online book clubs for preteens and teens.

Two online book clubs are discussed.

Overall, the online book clubs proved to be a fun, engaging, and convenient activity for preteen and teens. Parents and librarians also found these clubs to be motivating and flexible.

This case‐based manuscript would benefit from insights from other libraries that offer online book clubs, further investigation and empirical research.

This manuscript offers theoretical grounding and rich, practical details so that other libraries can capitalize and create their own online book clubs.

Online book clubs offer a forum that capitalizes on youths' familiarity with computers and new literacy practices while staying rooted in traditional practices. Public library online book clubs are sites of possibility – a medium through which libraries can more readily encourage literate practices in younger generations.

The intention of this paper is to encourage debate among ethical researchers on this very important issue. Research necessary to underpin health education and health promotion is often controversial and often involves vulnerable populations such as young people and children. It is essential that the rights of these respondents are protected in every research project. Current research ethical approval processes aim to protect these rights but have the potential to undermine the viability of research projects in this area. This paper addresses two ethical issues associated with this research: the approval process and respondent consent.

The paper looks at the codified antecedents of common ethical guidelines and discusses their application in a particular but not unusual health education research project.

The paper recommends the adoption of a simplified approval process and greater appreciation of the merits of researching among students in a classroom setting, when these students are an appropriate target market.

Much health education research falls between medical research and marketing research. Guidelines for this sort of research need to be developed through discussion among practitioners and academics in the field.

Adoption of this simplified approach will facilitate more important research being undertaken without jeopardizing the rights or the welfare of the vulnerable respondents involved.

Women make up about half of the overall workforce, but they are still underrepresented in higher pay, leadership and senior-level positions. Literature indicated genders are different in information processing, values, learning styles, behaviors and leadership styles. A customized women-only training program (WOTP) has been implemented cross-disciplinary; yet, the literature has limited discussions on the principle and outcome of WOTP. The purpose of this paper is to explore the purpose, application, challenges, advantages and disadvantages of WOTP.

Social learning theory was applied to investigate the fundamental principle of WOTP.

The implication of WOTP to human resource development (HRD) discipline was discussed, and three propositions were created in this paper.

This paper is expected to contribute to adult education and HRD research and practices on promoting gender equality in the workplace and to provoke dialogue about a training strategy – WOTP.