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Enforcing employee compliance with information systems security policies (ISSP) is a herculean task for organizations as security breaches due to non-compliance continue to soar. To improve this situation, researchers have employed fear appeals that are based on protection motivation theory (PMT) to induce compliance behavior. However, extant research on fear appeals has yielded mixed findings. To help explain these mixed findings, the authors contend that efficacy formation is a cognitive process that is impacted by the cognitive load exerted by the design of fear appeal messages.

The study draws on cognitive load theory (CLT) to examine the effects of intrinsic cognitive load, extraneous cognitive load and germane cognitive load on stimulating an individual’s efficacy and coping appraisals. The authors designed a survey to collect data from 359 respondents and tested the model using partial least squares.

The analysis showed significant relationships between cognitive load (intrinsic, extraneous, and germane) and fear, maladaptive rewards, response costs, self-efficacy and response efficacy.

This provides support for the assertion that fear appeals impact the cognitive processes of individuals that then in turn can potentially affect the efficacy of fear and coping appraisals. These findings demonstrate the need to further investigate how individual cognition is impacted by fear appeal design and the resulting effects on compliance intention and behavior.

This study conducts a systematic literature review to examine the interrelationships between e-learning critical success factors, instructors' perceptions of these factors, and the corresponding institutional actions taken by higher education institutions to achieve success in e-learning implementation, by fostering instructors’ acceptance of e-learning as a viable mode of delivery in higher education.

The research design employed in this study involves a systematic literature review of 43 peer-reviewed articles from EBSCO host and Scopus databases. The selected methodology employed thematic analysis of the gathered data by utilizing a multistep qualitative coding method of analysis.

The systematic literature review delivers three key findings. First, there is a notable divergence between instructors' perceptions of critical success factors for e-learning in higher education and the perspectives of other stakeholders, such as students, e-learning experts, and institutional management. Second, it emphasizes the importance for higher education institutions to understand and address instructors' perceptions to facilitate effective e-learning implementation. Third, the literature suggests potential causal relationships between institutional actions addressing the success factors deemed important by instructors and instructors' sustained acceptance of e-learning as a viable delivery mode.

The present study enriches knowledge of instructor perceptions of critical success factors for effectiveness in higher education by extending research in institutional management actions to enable their achievement. This study has implications for research strands on how instructors’ motivation and propensity for e-learning acceptance can be influenced by institutional management and how to reduce the level of resistance to adopting e-learning courses by addressing e-learning’s critical success factors as perceived by instructors.

Based on the theoretical insights derived from the systematic literature review, a conceptual framework is constructed, integrating the three concepts under investigation: success factors, institutional actions, and instructors' acceptance of e-learning in higher education. This framework provides a basis for future research seeking to validate the potential causal relationships among these concepts. Moreover, the study contributes to existing literature by addressing and consolidating research strands related to critical success factors and instructors' perceptions of e-learning effectiveness in higher education.

Secure children’s homes (SCHs) restrict the liberty of young people considered to be a danger to themselves or others. However, not all young people referred to SCHs find a placement, and little is known about the outcomes of the young person after an SCH or alternative placement. The purpose of this paper is to understand which characteristics most likely predict allocation to an SCH placement, and to explore the outcomes of the young people in the year after referral.

A retrospective electronic cohort study was conducted using linked social care data sets in England. The study population was all young people from England referred to SCHs for welfare reasons between 1st October 2016 to 31st March 2018 (n = 527). Logistic regression tested for differences in characteristics of SCH placement allocation and outcomes in the year after referral.

In total, 60% of young people referred to an SCH were allocated a place. Factors predicting successful or unsuccessful SCH allocation were previous placement in an SCH (OR = 2.12, p = 0.01); being female (OR = 2.26, p = 0.001); older age (OR = 0.75, p = 0.001); and a history of challenging behaviour (OR = 0.34, p = 0.01). In the year after referral, there were little differences in outcomes between young people placed in a SCH versus alternative accommodation.

The study raised concerns about the capacity of current services to recognise and meet the needs of this complex and vulnerable group of young people and highlights the necessity to explore and evaluate alternatives to SCHs.