Understanding the Internet banking adoption: A unified theory of acceptance and use of technology and perceived risk application

Understanding the main determinants of Internet banking adoption is important for banks and users; our understanding of the role of users’ perceived risk in Internet banking adoption is limited. In response, we develop a conceptual model that combines unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) with perceived risk to explain behaviour intention and usage behaviour of Internet banking. To test the conceptual model we collected data from Portugal (249 valid cases). Our results support some relationships of UTAUT, such as performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influence, and also the role of risk as a stronger predictor of intention. To explain usage behaviour of Internet banking the most important factor is behavioural intention to use Internet banking.     

Preschool children’s conceptions of water,molecule, and chemistry before and after participating in a playfully dramatized early childhood education activity

The present study reports an empirical investigation into concept formation of young children. Based on interviews conducted before and after participating in a playfully enacted chemistry lesson at a culture center, it is analyzed how 6-year-old children conceptualize water, molecule, and chemistry. Theoretically, the study is informed by Vygotsky’s cultural-historical perspective on concept formation. The empirical data consist of pre- and post-interviews with children and documentation of their participation in the intermediate activity. This documentation is used in the post-interviews as a mutual ground for talking with the children about what they remember and how they understand the activity they participated in and what the activity intended to illustrate. The results are presented in terms of three inductively generated categories: ‘everyday’, ‘experientially-based’, and ‘generalized experiences’ concepts, respectively. The implications of these findings for early childhood chemistry (science) education are discussed.

     

Personality traits as a predictor of academic achievement in adolescents

The study examined the predictive value of adolescents’ personality trait ratings by different groups of informants in explaining academic achievement [grade point average (GPA)] while controlling for students’ sex and their mothers’ education. The Inventory of Child/Adolescent Individual Differences was employed as a measure of students’ personality traits at the end of elementary schooling (mean age = 14.7 years) and two years later when the participants attended secondary schools. The trait ratings were obtained through self‐, maternal and peer reports at both measurement occasions. They explained substantial portions of unique variance in the students’ GPA concurrently, and over time. Ratings by each of the three groups of informants had an incremental validity over one another in predicting school grades. Among personality variables, conscientiousness and low extraversion were consistently predictive of GPA.     

When Glass and Metal Corrode Together,V: Sodium Copper Formate

A sodium copper formate, first described in 2002, can also form on copper alloys with sodium originating from soda glass hydrolysis. The frequent occurrence (50% of 250 cases of glass-induced metal corrosion) is due to the presence of formaldehyde emissions in storage and its direct reaction to formate in the alkaline surface films. The compound can be produced without the presence of acetate when chalconatronite or metal coupons immersed in soda solution are exposed to formaldehyde vapours. The crystal structure, derived from X-ray powder diffraction, yielded the sum formula Cu₄Na₄O(HCOO)₈(OH)₂·4H₂O. Except for the absence of acetate in the structure, this is in good agreement with the 2002 publication. To assess which kind of combined glass/metal objects are affected, a number of large museum collections were surveyed. Sodium copper formate was detected as a corrosion product using mainly micro-Raman spectroscopy, for instance, on 18 painted Limoges enamels, eight glass vessels with metal mountings, glass beads on metal wire from 11 bridal crowns, nine Christmas tree balls with wire decoration, 40 pieces of jewellery with glass gems, three daguerreotypes, and one miniature with cover glasses.     

The positive attitude approach for teaching in higher education: An untrodden path for policy and practice

This article reports on a study in which a new conceptual framework for fostering a positive attitude towards teaching in higher education (PATTHE) was developed. The PATTHE framework builds on a holistic four-dimensional theoretical concept and is not limited by the specificity of teaching within a particular discipline or national higher education context. The four dimensions of PATTHE pertain to (a) emotional dimension, (b) professional development, (c) constructivist approaches to teaching, and (d) the teaching and research nexus; all of which are relevant for empowering quality teaching at personal, institutional and/or national higher education policy levels. The purpose of our study was to test and analyse this conceptual framework. Creative qualitative research methods were used including identification of keywords, evoking participant opinions through visual materials, reactions to vignettes, and by documenting discussions regarding the proposed PATTHE conceptual framework. A purposive and critically informed approach was used for the selection of twelve higher education experts as research participants. Responses from the selected education developers were collected through an online protocol system. Research results revealed that participant reflections on a positive attitude towards teaching showed a high level of agreement with the proposed conceptual framework; the proposed theoretical concept is thereby deemed well-constructed and acceptable with minimal extensions.     

Extending the understanding of mobile banking adoption: When UTAUT meets TTF and ITM

Mobile banking (mBanking) enables customers to carry out their banking tasks via mobile devices. We advance the extant body of knowledge about mBanking adoption by proposing a model for understanding the importance and relationship between the user perception of mBanking, initial trust in mBanking services, and the fit between the technology and mBanking task characteristics. We synergistically combine the strengths of three IS theories – task technology fit (TTF) model, unified theory of acceptance and usage of technology (UTAUT), and initial trust model (ITM). The model was tested in a study conducted in Portugal, one of the European Union (EU) countries with the highest mobile phone adoption. Based on the sample of 194 individuals we applied partial least squares (PLS) to test the conceptual model propose. The path significance levels were estimated using the bootstrapping method (500 resamples). The study found that facilitating conditions and behavioral intentions directly influence mBanking adoption. Initial trust, performance expectancy, technology characteristics, and task technology fit have total effect on behavioral intention. The paper offers valuable insights to decision-makers involved in the implementation and deployment of mBanking services. For researchers, the paper highlights the usefulness of integrating TTF, UTAUT and ITM in the development of a decision support framework to study the adoption of new technologies.     

Resisting schoolification from the classroom. Exploring the professional identity of early childhood teachers in Chile / Resistiendo la escolarización desde el aula. Explorando la identidad profesional de las docentes de primera infancia en Chile

This article presents a study which aimed to explore the professional identity of early childhood teachers in Chile, applying a sociocultural approach. Relying on an exploratory qualitative design, data were collected through focus groups and photo-narratives. The findings show that these teachers understand that child-centred pedagogy is the pillar of their professional identity; that they perceive that this is under threat from the schoolification of early childhood education; and that they admit that their capacity to resist this tendency is limited to the classroom. These findings suggest that, having scarce resources available to negotiate their professional identity in their working context, early childhood teachers in Chile have a limited capacity for agency.     

Dubious Early Medieval Jewels from Matzhausen (Bavaria): New Material and Technological Investigations

ABSTRACT

A controversial set of elite jewels assumed to be of early medieval period, recovered in 1937–1938 from a burial site in Matzhausen (northeastern Bavaria) was investigated to determine their technological coherency as well as their authenticity. The discovery of these jewels was exploited by German nationalists to argue that the material culture observed in Bohemia and Moravia in the ninth century had Germanic roots. The circumstances of their discovery, however, remain unclear. Research in archives demonstrated the involvement of the SS Ahnenerbe organisation in the recovery of the jewels. Are these jewels authentic or are they forgeries manufactured or modified by a modern craftsman to serve German expansionist nationalism? Three jewels recovered in the grave – a gombik (hollow spherical pendant), an earring with chainlet, and a zoomorphic figurine – were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-radiography, and stereomicroscopy. The investigation revealed a very heterogeneous set of objects with respect to technology and state of preservation. It also uncovered repairs and past invasive interventions involving modern metal and solder. Comparison with similar types of jewels from Bohemia and Moravia points to important differences in construction and technology, which confirms the uniqueness of this set of objects and casts suspicion on their authenticity.