IT engagement as a blessing and a curse? Examining its antecedents and outcomes in organizations

Information technology (IT) engagement is defined as a need to spend more time using IT. Practice-based examples show that IT engagement can have adverse effects in organizations. Although users can potentially get more work done through IT engagement, observations show that the users might jeopardize their well-being and hamper their work performance. We aimed to investigate this complexity in the research on IT engagement by examining its potential antecedents and outcomes in organizations. Considering the potentially mixed outcomes, we developed a model to examine the effects of IT engagement on personal productivity and strain. We also aimed to explain the antecedents of IT engagement by drawing on the collective expectations for IT use. In particular, we examined the extent to which normative pressure on IT use drives users’ information load and IT engagement. Finally, we sought to understand whether users’ attempts to avert dependency on IT use reduced their IT engagement. Several hypotheses were developed and tested with survey data of 1091 organizational IT users. The findings help explain the role of normative pressure as a key driver of IT engagement and validate the positive and negative outcomes of IT engagement in organizations.     

The role of social media in the engagement and information processes of social CRM

This study furthers investigation into exactly how Social CRM (S-CRM) is different from traditional CRM, and models the interrelationships between its capabilities. It is underpinned in dynamic capabilities theory, to explain how social media, as a resource all organizations use, can lead to differing performance outcomes. It is underpinned in seminal research into traditional CRM, but which does not cater for the disruptive nature of social media. We outline how S-CRM is a second-order dynamic capability consistng of a set of first-order integrative dynamic capabiliies that, when properly interrelated, lead to performance outcomes. We particularly model the role of S-CRM front- and back-office technology capabilities, customer engagement initiatives, and social information processes in driving customer relationship performance. Findings show that S-CRM is different from traditional CRM in a range of ways in the front- and back-offices, and provide a framework for researcher and managers in information systems and marketing to operate at strategic and tactical levels within S-CRM, while being congisant of both.     

Why do christian churches,and not universities,facilitate intercultural engagement for Chinese international students?

The paper offers new, significant insights into the Church engagement experiences of Chinese international students in the UK. Based on a mixed-method research and focusing on a group of international Chinese students participating in local Christian churches, it explores the motivations (for), dynamics and types of connections students establish and maintain with the church communities, and the implications for stakeholders in facilitating intercultural engagement with the local community. The limited cross-cultural interactions alongside other structural and contextual factors often deprive meaningful engagement between international students and host nationals within the campus. According to the research participants, internationalised university is promising and promoting intercultural experiences but not delivering them. Chinese students of usually non-Christian background gravitate towards Christian churches as alternative places to gain desired intercultural experiences. The findings encourage universities to reflect on the quality of intercultural engagement for international students and draw from the reciprocal and respectful intercultural connections that some students discovered through engaging with Christian churches.     

Historicising teachers’ learning: a case study of productive professional practice

This paper reveals the significant historical traces which informed the learning practices of teachers at one particular school site in a rural and regional educational district in Australia. Drawing upon recent theorising into professional practice, the paper argues that teacher learning practices are intrinsically ‘ecologically’ related to teachers’ practices at specific sites. However, extending beyond this theorising, the research also reveals how teacher learning – in the case presented, in relation to classroom dialogue – is also significantly influenced by earlier learning experiences of the teachers involved. In this way, teachers’ practices are revealed as not only influenced by present-day, site-specific, whole-school teacher learning, but also by particular events encountered by teachers at an earlier phase of their careers. The research argues for a conception of teachers’ learning which is not only site-informed and ecologically arranged, but also deeply temporally embedded.     

感知的企业社会责任对员工创新行为作用机制的实证研究

在经济转型和社会发展进入新阶段,创新成为时代主旋律的大背景下,“如何激发员工创新行为”已成为当前企业人力资源管理实践最重要的问题之一。本研究从责任伦理的视角探讨了员工感知的社会责任(PCSR)对员工创新行为的影响机制。通过对671名的家族企业员工的调查研究发现：(1)PCSR会对员工创新行为产生正向的影响;(2)组织认同、工作不安全感和员工的工作投入在PCSR和员工创新行为之间起着重要的中介作用,PCSR通过影响员工的组织认同、工作安全感和工作投入进而对其创新行为产生影响;(3)本研究把PCSR分为内部和外部两个层面,并对比研究发现员工感知的内部社会责任对组织认同、工作投入和员工创新力的影响效应要显著大于员工感知的外部社会责任。本研究着眼于责任伦理的教化与感知,比较有创见性的提出责任伦理的感知和教化等软性因素是驱动创新的重要源动力和管理落脚点,丰富了关于PCSR领域的研究,也为管理实践中“如何调动员工的创新行为”提供了一个新的有益思路。     

社会支持对运动员投入的影响：心理坚韧性与应对方式的序列中介作用

摘要：目的：考察社会支持对运动员投入的影响以及心理坚韧性和应对方式在其中的序列中介作用。方法：采用运动领域领悟支持问卷、运动心理坚韧性问卷、竞技运动领域应对问卷、运动员投入问卷对483名现役运动员进行调查。结果：1）社会支持对运动员投入有显著的正向预测作用;2）心理坚韧性与应对方式在社会支持与运动员投入之间起中介作用。结论：社会支持不仅能直接促进运动员投入,还可以通过心理坚韧性与应对方式的中介对其产生间接促进作用,具体包括4条中介路径：通过心理坚韧性的中介路径;通过任务导向应对的中介路径;通过心理坚韧性与任务导向应对的序列中介路径;通过心理坚韧性与脱离导向应对的序列中介路径。本研究构建的中介效应模型在一定程度上揭示了社会支持影响运动员投入的内在机制。研究提示,通过提供社会支持,将能增强运动员的心理坚韧性,促使其更多地采用任务导向应对,更少地采用脱离导向应对,进而促进运动员投入。     

教师的成长与培训初探——兼论中国内地实践与经验

随着教育发展及教育理论和教育技术的进步,教师专业化进程日益深化,因此研究教师成长和加强培训促进教师专业发展就成为当下教师工作的重大课题。中国目前开展的课程改革,首要任务之一就是要培训新型教师,推进教师教育模式转型。     

Experiences of teacher evaluation systems on high school physical education programs

Primary objective: Teacher evaluation is being revamped by policy-makers. The marginalized status of physical education has protected this subject area from reform for many decades, but in our current era of system-wide, data-based decision-making, physical education is no longer immune. Standardized and local testing, together with structured observation measures, are swiftly being mandated in the USA as required elements of teacher evaluation systems in an effort to improve school programs and student achievement. The purpose of this investigation was to document how this reform was initiated and the experiences of teachers, students and administrators, from three high school physical education programs, during initiation of this reform. Documenting how physical education programs respond to such reforms develops our understanding of top-down reform efforts and helps to identify conditions under which such reforms have the intended effect on physical education teachers and student learning in physical education.

Theoretical framework: Fullan’s three phases of school change has been used to analyze and guide school change efforts in several subject areas including physical education. The phases are initiation, implementation and institutionalization. This study is situated primarily within the first phase of school change, the initiation phase.

Methods and procedures: This study took place over a 21-month period in 3 suburban school districts in a northeast metropolitan area of the USA. Interviews with district physical education administrators, high school physical education teachers and students were conducted. Field notes of physical education classes, informal interviews and related artifacts including pre- and post-physical education assessments were collected. To ensure trustworthiness, several steps were taken including member checks, triangulation and peer review. The data were analyzed to find common themes and patterns using the constant comparative method.

Results: Several themes emerged: (1) changes in curriculum and assessment; (2) effect on administrators; (3) stakeholder apathy and (4) department collaboration.

Conclusion: Changes, although minor, did take place in the wake of this top-down teacher reform; however, additional research needs to be completed to determine whether or not these changes are meaningful or long lasting.     

Health,functioning and social engagement among the UK Chinese

The present study examines factors associated with health, functioning and social engagement among Chinese in the UK. A total of 211 Chinese men and women aged between 15 and 79 years were recruited through a selection of Chinese social organisations across the UK. Data was collected using a self-completion questionnaire, which included domains examining health and functioning and social functioning; among others. Poor health and functioning was associated with levels of social support. Social engagement was associated with high levels of social support, network size, and contribution to others, emphasising the importance of meaningful social engagement. Those individuals with good cognitive and physical functioning felt more of a sense of social cohesion and inclusion and respect from others than individuals with poorer functioning. Findings emphasise the UK Chinese community's reliance on informal support networks rather than the utilisation of formal networks, which may go some way to explain the reported underutilisation of formal health and social support services among this community.     

Intercultural Communication Training for English Language Teachers: A Case Study of an Immersion Program for South Korean Teachers

Little research has been conducted that explores connections between the fields of intercultural communication and English-language instruction. To address this gap, we report on an intercultural communication course delivered as an integral part of a short-term professional development immersion program for English-language teachers from South Korea. Study results indicate that intercultural communication training served to enhance participants’ pragmatics awareness along with sensitivity regarding sociocultural influences on communication that they experienced in situ. After the four-week course, most of the participants expressed desire and readiness to integrate intercultural communication into their teaching in South Korea. Intercultural communication training promises to complement pragmatics instruction aiming at improving English-language learning and teaching.