Roles of alternative and self-oriented perspectives in the context of the continued use of social network sites

Individuals with a positive evaluation of a target system are likely to continue using the system, and this sustained use is likely to result in continued use. This target-oriented perspective has served as a major conceptual framework for understanding users’ behaviors in online contexts. The primary objective of this paper is to address two additional perspectives—alternative- and self-oriented perspectives—for a firmer understanding of continued use in the context of social network sites (SNS). A research model is built by employing regret and self-image congruity to represent these two perspectives. The model also examines the condition under which habits are formed and how this automatic mechanism influences the dynamics of the nomological network between intentions and behaviors. The analysis results of two rounds of surveys for capturing the actual link between intentions and behaviors indicate that regret and self-image congruity can play crucial roles in post-adoption phenomena in the context of SNS.     

Korean elementary school students’ English learning demotivation: a comparative survey study

This study explores Korean elementary school students’ decreased motivation for English learning by analyzing the questionnaire data obtained from 6,301 students in a large city in South Korea. The students’ school grades and their prior experience in private institutes were considered as the major factors behind the decrease in their motivation. There was a statistically significant and consistent decrease in the students’ satisfaction with their English learning experience; expectation of ultimate success in English; and intrinsic/extrinsic motivation and integrative/instrumental motivation. Prior experience in attending private institutes had a substantial impact on the students’ motivation. Those who attended private institutes (hakwons) exhibited higher levels of instrumental and intrinsic motivation. However, in terms of other motivational constructs of integrative and extrinsic (parental, academic) motivation, private instruction had a negligible or negative impact. By comparing the results with those of Lamb (2007), the present study proposes that Korean students should be made to internalize the beneficial role played by English so that their English learning motivation can be maintained.     

Investigating Stage-Sequential Growth Mixture Models with Multiphase Longitudinal Data

This article investigates three types of stage-sequential growth mixture models in the structural equation modeling framework for the analysis of multiple-phase longitudinal data. These models can be important tools for situations in which a single-phase growth mixture model produces distorted results and can allow researchers to better understand population heterogeneity and growth over multiple phases. Through theoretical and empirical comparisons of the models, the authors discuss strategies with respect to model selection and interpreting outcomes. The unique attributes of each approach are illustrated using ecological momentary assessment data from a tobacco cessation study. Transitional discrepancy between phases as well as growth factors are examined to see whether they can give us useful information related to a distal outcome, abstinence at 6 months postquit. It is argued that these statistical models are powerful and flexible tools for the analysis of complex and detailed longitudinal data.     

On the construction of cryptographically strong Boolean functions with desirable trade-off

INTRODUCTION A variety of desirable criteria for functions have been identified: balancedness, local and global ava-lanche characteristics, high nonlinearity, etc. These properties are also very important for cryptographic purpose. Obtaining optimal tradeoffs among so many properties is hard. If we take into account more crite-ria, it is more difficult to generate Boolean functions satisfying those properties purely by constructive algebraic methods. How to construct Boolean func-tions …     

Differential Item Functioning in Biodata: Opportunity Access as an Explanation of Gender- and Race-Related DIF

Investigations of differential item functioning (DIF) have been conducted mostly on ability tests and have found little evidence of easily interpretable differences across various demographic subgroups. In this study, we examined the degree to which DIF in biographical data items referencing academically relevant background, experiences, and interests was related to differences in judgments about access to these experiences by members of different gender and race subgroups. DIF in the location parameter was significantly related (r = –.51, p < .01) to gender differences in perceived accessibility to experience. No significant relationships with accessibility were observed for DIF in the slope parameter across gender groups or for the slope and location parameters associated with DIF across Black and White groups. Practical implications for use of biodata and theoretical implications for DIF research are discussed.     

Effects of upper and lower body wearable resistance on spatio-temporal and kinetic parameters during running

ABSTRACT

Wearable resistance training involves added load attached directly to the body during sporting movements. The effects of load position during running are not yet fully established. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to determine spatio-temporal and kinetic characteristics during submaximal running using upper, lower and whole-body wearable resistance (1–10% body mass (BM)). Twelve trained male runners completed eight 2-min treadmill running bouts at 3.9 m/s with and without wearable resistance. The first and last bouts were unloaded, while the middle 6 were randomised wearable resistance conditions: upper body (UB) 5% BM, lower body (LB) 1%, 3%, 5% BM and whole body (WB) 5%, 10% BM. Wearable resistance of 1–10% BM resulted in a significant increase in heart rate (5.40–8.84%), but minimal impact on spatio-temporal variables. Loads of 5% BM and greater caused changes in vertical stiffness, vertical and horizontal force, and impulse. Functional and effective propulsive force (2.95%, 2.88%) and impulse (3.40%, 3.38%) were significantly (p < 0.05) greater with LB5% than UB5%. Wearable resistance may be used to increase muscular kinetics during running without negatively impacting spatio-temporal variables. The application of these findings will vary depending on athlete goals. Future longitudinal studies are required to validate training contentions.     

The Impacts of Library Services on Interlibrary Loan Requests Canceled due to Local Availability

Abstract

Interlibrary loan (ILL) services receive requests for resources that are available locally and form a major portion of canceled requests. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between requests canceled due to local availability and three aspects to identify impacts on ILL. The authors explored library service aspects such as collection format, the link resolver knowledge base, and discovery system functionality for potential influence on requests for locally available resources. Quantitative methods were used to identify evidence of different aspects’ impact through analysis of ILL borrowing request data. The most important finding was that the discovery system had impact on ILL services by improving retrievability of locally available resources published recently. The results suggest that a modern discovery system can efficiently provide more relevant results sourced from a carefully curated set of authoritative resources, save users’ time to access available materials, and reduce library staff members’ time and effort. This study will be helpful to libraries through its analysis of library services that impact the cancelation of ILL requests due to local availability and how those services may influence service improvement.