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.     

The Seduction of the Market: Whitehead, Hutchins, and the Harvard Business School

The paper analyses a debate from 1936 between Alfred North Whitehead and Robert M. Hutchins over the role of the business universities today. Their contrasting views on vocational training in the modern university underlines the ways in which the logics of education and the market differ. I argue that Whitehead's support for the business school stemmed from a belief in private corporations fulfilling the same role as the Catholic Church in defending the "great liberty" of mediaeval universities. This belief is contradicted by other statements of his that business corporations destroy the very craft required for academic work. Finally, I suggest ways in which both authors might respond to a current situation at my own university where applied research for business is subsidized with millions of dollars from the base budget. While both would have been opposed to the threat this poses to university autonomy, Hutchins' critique of the logic of the market makes his the strongest position.     

Improvements in school climate associated with enhanced health and welfare services for students

School improvement initiatives are needed to better meet the needs of underprivileged students, to reduce underachievement and to break a continuing cycle of disadvantage. This article describes part of a school improvement initiative in New Zealand that provided additional funding for school nurse and social worker services in nine secondary schools with the most disadvantaged students in New Zealand. It describes the nature and delivery of services provided by the social workers in these schools. In addition, the article reports changes over time in staff and student views about school climate including a comparison with non-participating schools of similar socioeconomic status. The findings indicated that school climate is a useful intermediate measure of the effectiveness of school improvement initiatives. There were significant improvements in staff views about school climate over time, with staff views about school climate becoming more favourable on scales measuring Improvements in the Last 12 Months and Support for Ethnic Diversity compared to eight non-participating schools. Student views were more favourable on scales measuring Satisfaction with School, Support for Achievement and Support for Ethnic Diversity, compared to the non-participating schools.     

Money Doesn’t Talk,It Swears: The Wolf of Wall Street as a Homology for America’s Ambivalent Attitude on Financial Excess

Audiences have praised and criticized Martin Scorsese’s film The Wolf of Wall Street since its release. Despite projecting a portrait of Wall Street greed, the film’s cultural reception demonstrates a public ambiguously mesmerized by a wealthy individual and his “get rich quick” philosophy. This article argues that Scorsese’s film and rhetoric from the real Jordan Belfort act as a homology for America’s ambivalent attitude on the hegemonic power of money and celebrity. Connecting rhetorical homologies to Raymond Williams’s structure of feeling, this article illustrates how personal and public attitudes are constituted through a text’s form and content.     

Remote electronic examinations: student experiences

This paper presents the findings from a small–scale experiment investigating the presentation of a synchronous remote electronic examination. It discusses the students' experiences of taking such an examination. The study confirms that the majority of participants found the experience at least as good as a conventional written examination. In addition, typing answers does not prevent students from producing answers in the time available. However, the pressure of time continues to be a major cause of anxiety for students. The paper discusses technical issues, particularly those related to the loss of communications during the 3–hour duration of the exam. Although software processes were available to save and restore students' answers throughout the examination, problems still occurred and more robust software is required.     

The outcomes and impacts of everyday learning

This article examines the effects of synthesising existing theoretical approaches to understanding the effects of adult learning. The paper focuses on aspects of the findings of a small Australian research project that explored the significance of everyday learning in people’s lives. One key part of the research involved examining and synthesising two key approaches for understanding the effects of adult learning with another, different approach and then applying this to the collected snapshots of six people’s everyday lives. In the paper it is argued that this application of a synthesised framework to the participant’s stories was able to reveal more of the complex and interconnected nature of the effects of the participant’s everyday learning than either of the two original approaches on their own. This research is significant for two key reasons. Firstly, the findings of the research suggest that the effects of adult everyday learning are more complex and further reaching beyond the individual than previously established. Secondly, the work can be seen as a demonstration of the benefits of a synthesised approach to adult learning that seeks inclusivity, breadth and depth in understanding, thus contributing to the growing body of work, and understandings of adult learning.     

Teacher training and transitions in rural Indonesian schools: a case study of Bogor,West Java

As one of the world's largest and most diverse countries, Indonesia faces an enormous challenge as it seeks to upgrade the skills and knowledge of its widespread primary teacher workforce. This challenge is even more acute in remote rural areas, where practising teachers require specialized training to work in classrooms with children of different ages and grades. Yet, due to their remote locations, these teachers have little access to training opportunities, and teacher educators have few opportunities to assess their needs. To explore training needs and instructional strategies employed by rural teachers, we conducted a case study of nine rural schools in the district of Bogor, West Java. We interviewed headmasters and teachers in these schools, instructors at a major Indonesian university, and a district official. We found that while rural teachers generally consider their training to be helpful, they receive little guidance to help them manage and teach large multigrade classes. As a result, pedagogical practices and perspectives vary across nine schools in the same rural district. At the same time, a growing number of “contract teachers” in these schools has reduced the number of multigrade classrooms while increasing the need for training of novice teachers in rural schools.     

Spector,J Michael (2012) Foundations of educational technology Routledge (London & New York) isbn 978‐0‐415‐87471‐7 189 pp £29.99http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415874717/

Primary schools and ict addresses the integration of information technology into primary school education in the UK. Using a mixed methods approach, it builds a unique case study of learner perspectives and outlines recommendations for the sector. If the content of this book is likely to be relevant to you, I recommend that you borrow a copy for a while. Michael Thomas     

Intergenerational Effects of Paying for College

A study of parents' and their children's means of paying for college was conducted to determine if the use of parent contributions, work earnings, or student financial aid shows influence across generations. This study used data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study of 1990 in a path model with controls for the child's academic ability, gender, declared major, institutional selectivity, tuition cost, and distance from home. Indirect effects are indicated that increase parental cash gifts and loans to the child, mediated by parents' measures of socioeconomic status, the timing of college savings, and the child's degree aspirations. The child's financial aid is also indirectly affected by measures of the parents' socioeconomic status (higher status resulting in less aid). The direct effect of the parent receiving student financial aid is in larger amounts of student aid for the child. No intergenerational effects occur between the parents' use of work earnings to finance college and the amount of work earnings in college for the child.     

Strengths and Weaknesses of Non-enhanced and Contrast-enhanced Cadaver Computed Tomography Scans in the Teaching of Gross Anatomy in an Integrated Curriculum

Cadaver-specific postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) has become an integral part in anatomy teaching at several universities. Recently, the feasibility of contrast-enhanced (CE)-PMCT has been demonstrated. The purpose of this study was to identify particular strengths and weaknesses of both non-enhanced and contrast-enhanced PMCT compared to conventional cadaver dissection. First, the students’ perception of the learning effectiveness of the three different modalities have been assessed using a 34-item survey (five-point Likert scale) covering all anatomy course modules. Results were compared using the nonparametric Friedman Test. Second, the most frequent artifacts in cadaver CT scans, were systematically analyzed in 122 PMCT and 31 CE-PMCT data sets to quantify method-related limitations and characteristics. Perfusion quality was assessed in 57 vascular segments (38 arterial and 19 venous). The survey was answered by n = 257/320 (80.3%) students. Increased learning benefits of PMCT/ CE-PMCT compared to cadaver dissection were found in osteology (2/3 categories, P < 0.001), head and neck (2/5 categories, P < 0.01), and brain anatomy (3/3 categories, P < 0.01). Contrast-enhanced-PMCT was perceived particularly useful in learning vascular anatomy (10/10 categories, P < 0.01). Cadaver dissection received significantly higher scores compared to PMCT and CE-PMCT in all categories of the abdomen and thorax (7/7 categories, P < 0.001), as well as the majority of muscular anatomy (5/6 categories, P < 0.001). Frequent postmortem artifacts (total n = 28, native-phase n = 21, contrast injection-related n = 7) were identified and assessed. The results of this work contribute to the understanding of the value of integrating cadaver-specific PMCT in anatomy teaching.