Search Results (76)

Writing-intensive courses help undergraduate students develop disciplinary knowledge and communication skills, yet many students, particularly first-generation college students and those writing in a second language, enter these courses with low confidence and high writing anxiety. Writing self-efficacy, or students’ beliefs about their ability to succeed as writers, is associated with motivation and academic success, but less is known about how instructional practices shape its development. This qualitative study examined how students experienced instructional practices in a writing-intensive public health course and how these experiences influenced writing self-efficacy. Data were collected through a focus group with six undergraduate students and analyzed using a deductive thematic approach guided by Bandura’s four sources of self-efficacy. Students identified scaffolded assignments, opportunities for revision, and explanatory feedback as key facilitators of writing self-efficacy. Supportive classroom relationships, including proactive instructor outreach and consistent feedback, also appeared to foster confidence. Barriers included linguistic challenges, limited academic role models, and negative experiences with writing support services. These findings suggest writing self-efficacy may develop through the interaction of structured instructional practices and supportive classroom environments. Full article

The rapid diffusion of industry 4.0 technologies has substantially transformed the maritime transportation sectors by enabling data-driven operations, enhanced connectivity, and more intelligent decision-making processes. Digital technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), simulation systems, and advanced data analytics are increasingly reshaping operational structures in maritime logistics, positioning technological transformation as a strategic priority for firms. However, the weighting and prioritization of components emerging with industry 4.0 technologies remain an underexplored area in the literature. The primary motivation of this study is to determine the weights of these industry 4.0 components using the Bayesian Best Worst Method (BWM) and to reveal their corresponding credal ranking levels. In this context, the present study aims to evaluate and prioritize the critical industry 4.0 components influencing technological transformation processes using the Bayesian BWM. Bayesian BWM is preferred over alternative Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) approaches due to its ability to explicitly model uncertainty within a probabilistic framework, generate more consistent weighting results, and flexibly incorporate decision-makers’ judgments. The findings reveal that safety and security (0.2945) constitute the most influential main component, underscoring the necessity of robust digital infrastructures and reliable systems within highly digitalized operational environments. Among the sub-components, data privacy (0.1301) demonstrates the highest global weight, highlighting the growing importance of safeguarding sensitive information in data-intensive digital systems. The results further indicate that autonomous operation and coordination play significant roles in facilitating efficient digital operations, particularly through real-time equipment monitoring and IoT-based operational visibility. Moreover, sustainability (0.1968) emerges as the second most important component, suggesting that organizations increasingly assess technological investments not only in terms of operational efficiency but also with respect to long-term resilience. Within this dimension, continuous training (0.0614) is identified as the most influential component, indicating that the success of digital transformation depends not only on technological infrastructure but also on the development of human capabilities. With the increasing digitalization of the maritime industry, protection against cyber threats has become essential for ensuring operational continuity and safeguarding data integrity. In this regard, adopting proactive cybersecurity strategies and continuously monitoring and updating systems are of critical importance. In the digital transformation of maritime transportation, integrating sustainability considerations is essential to ensure long-term operational efficiency and environmental responsibility. These practical implications are particularly relevant for policymakers, port authorities, and shipping companies seeking to enhance both digital capabilities and sustainable performance. Full article

Green innovation is a crucial aspect of an enterprise’s core competitiveness and long-term sustainable development, garnering significant attention from both academic scholars and industry practitioners. However, while existing research has primarily focused on green innovation at the organizational level, the mechanisms driving green innovation behaviors at the individual level have not been thoroughly explored in the literature. This study is grounded in the classic Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) theoretical framework and highlights the interplay between job demands (such as environmental ethics and corporate environmental strategies) and job resources (such as green human resource management practices and green transformational leadership). It also integrates individual-level characteristics, specifically green mindfulness and connectedness to nature, to construct a multidimensional interactive model aimed at uncovering the complex mechanisms driving employees’ green innovation. To achieve this, the study employs fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The findings suggest that no single condition is necessary for employee green innovation. However, connectedness to nature consistently appears across all core configurations, indicating a prominent “enabling” effect. This suggests that employee green innovation is an active and proactive form of environmentally responsible behavior, largely driven by individuals’ emotional affinity with nature. Additionally, connectedness to nature serves as a foundational source of intrinsic motivation for environmental awareness and acts as a catalyst across multiple pathways. Configurational analysis reveals an equifinal pattern, identifying three distinct motivational pathways: (1) Self-motivation Combined with Resource Support; (2) Self-motivation Combined with Job Demands; and (3) Triple Interaction of Demand, Resources, and Individuals. This study possesses both theoretical and practical significance in systematically examining green innovation behaviors at the individual level. Full article

With the large-scale integration of distributed energy resources, modern energy systems are becoming increasingly dependent on communication networks for monitoring and control. This growing reliance exposes integrated energy systems (IESs) to potential cyber threats, as attackers may exploit vulnerabilities in communication protocols to disrupt system operation. However, most existing studies primarily investigate the stable operation of electro–thermal coupled systems from a defensive standpoint, while paying limited attention to the potential economic damage that could be induced from an attacker’s perspective. Motivated by this gap, this paper develops an optimal coordinated attack strategy targeting both energy storage units and load-side resources from the attacker’s viewpoint. First, an economic dispatch model for an electricity–heat–gas integrated energy system is established, and a fully distributed solution algorithm is proposed to obtain the optimal economic operating cost. Subsequently, by compromising energy storage and load units with relatively low security levels, a three-stage coordinated cyber-attack framework is designed for the IES. In the first two stages, covert data integrity attacks (DIAs) are launched to inject falsified power information into the system. In the third stage, a denial-of-service (DoS) attack is introduced to operate in synergy with the DIAs, forcing the system to converge to a feasible yet economically suboptimal operating point. The optimal initiation timing of the DoS attack is derived through theoretical analysis. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed strategy can induce an economic loss of approximately 21.7% while maintaining system feasibility. By revealing these latent vulnerabilities from an attacker-oriented perspective, this study provides a theoretical basis for the development of proactive defense mechanisms, thereby enhancing the long-term economic and operational security of future integrated energy systems. Full article

Job crafting has become an essential strategy for kindergarten teachers to cope with increasing job demands and sustain professional engagement. Drawing on the proactive motivation model, this study examines whether and how principals’ servant leadership exerts cross-level effects on teachers’ approach and avoidance job crafting. Data were collected from 1724 teachers nested within 150 kindergartens, and hypotheses were tested using multilevel modeling. The results indicated that principals’ servant leadership had significant cross-level effects on teachers’ approach and avoidance job crafting, positively predicting approach job crafting and negatively predicting avoidance job crafting. In addition, organizational identification functioned as a cross-level mediator in this relationship, through which servant leadership further enhanced approach job crafting and reduced avoidance job crafting. These findings extend the literature by revealing the motivational pathway linking servant leadership to distinct forms of job crafting and highlight the importance of cultivating a servant leadership climate to foster proactive behaviors among kindergarten teachers. Full article

This study examines how sustainability orientation shapes sustainability behavior among entrepreneurial small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Turkey. Grounded in self-determination theory (SDT) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study develops and empirically tests a conditional process model in which perceived social support functions as a mediating mechanism and sustainable entrepreneurship operates as a boundary condition. Data were collected from 519 senior managers of ISO 14001-certified SMEs using a two-wave survey design to mitigate common method variance (CMV). Using Hayes’ PROCESS macro, the results indicate that sustainability orientation is positively associated with sustainability behavior and that perceived social support partially mediates this relationship by facilitating the translation of sustainability values into action. Furthermore, sustainable entrepreneurship strengthens both the direct association between sustainability orientation and sustainability behavior and the indirect pathway operating through perceived social support. SMEs with higher sustainable entrepreneurship capabilities are better positioned to leverage internal values and external social reinforcement to enact proactive sustainability practices. Overall, the findings highlight the joint role of motivational orientations, social reinforcement, and entrepreneurial capability in shaping sustainability outcomes. The study contributes to sustainability and entrepreneurship research by clarifying how value-based orientations are converted into sustainable behavior and offers practical implications for policymakers and SME leaders seeking to accelerate sustainability transitions in emerging economies. Full article

The rapid rise in the use of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) as an alternative vehicle fuel in Ghana presents both opportunities and risks within the national energy transition agenda. This study investigates LPG safety as well as environmental and regulatory implications using a multi-method quantitative approach that combines structured survey data, exploratory multivariate analysis (MCA), and machine learning classification (Random Forest) to uncover emerging associations and patterns in LPG safety practices. Primary data were obtained from 384 respondents, including vehicle operators, auto-technicians, regulatory officials, and LPG station attendants across five major transport zones: Kejetia, Asafo, Ahodwo, Bantama, and Suame Magazine. The MCA identified four distinct behavioural and safety profiles—At-Risk, Proactive Safety, Compliant and Equipped, and Formal and Reported—reflecting diverse compliance and risk patterns across socio-occupational groups. The Random Forest classifier achieved a predictive accuracy of 96.5% based on cross-validated performance. Sensitivity and specificity values were high, indicating reliable discrimination among incident types. To reduce the risk of overfitting, k-fold cross-validation and monitored error convergence were performed across increasing numbers of trees. While the model shows strong predictive capability, we present these results cautiously and emphasize observed associations and emerging patterns rather than definitive predictive conclusions. The findings reveal that while economic motivations underpin LPG adoption, weak institutional enforcement and widespread informal installations heighten safety vulnerabilities. Comparisons with sub-Saharan and Asian contexts underscore the need for a structured regulatory framework, mandatory certification of installers, and periodic vehicle inspections. The study contributes to the broader discourse on informal energy transitions in developing economies by demonstrating how technical and behavioural determinants interact within weak regulatory systems. Policy recommendations emphasize the integration of data-driven risk assessment tools into regulatory oversight to enhance vehicular LPG safety and sustainability. Full article

Background/Objectives: Children and young people with intellectual disability/developmental disorder (ID/DD) face inequities in hospital care, including poor communication, limited reasonable adjustments, and fragmented coordination. This study examined the presence of care coordination elements within staff and caregiver experiences and explored how these practices were influenced by a locally delivered staff training program implemented in a tertiary paediatric emergency department (ED) in New South Wales, Australia (Motivated for Change). Methods: A qualitative pre–post design was used, incorporating staff and caregiver interviews and ED observations to evaluate the program. This study included 22 observations (10 baseline, 12 post-intervention) and 15 interviews (six baseline, nine post-intervention) with staff and caregivers. The intervention included three one-hour training sessions and practical tools such as the digital Top 5 Tile This study represents a secondary use of existing data, applying a previously established care coordination framework and its associated definitions. Data were analysed using the framework method by five members of the research team. Results: Post-intervention, staff more consistently engaged parents and caregivers, made tailored adjustments, and used the Top 5 Tile to support information continuity. Child life therapists played a pivotal role in advocating for families and modelling inclusive practices. The findings mapped strongly to the framework domains of communication, proactive care planning, and aligning resources to needs, though systemic constraints remained. Conclusions: Targeted training and structured tools can strengthen care coordination for children and young people with ID/DD in EDs, improving safety and quality of care. Broader implementation across other departments and evaluation of sustainability are warranted. Full article

In today’s corporate environment, employees’ proactive engagement in environmental behaviors is crucial for the effective implementation of corporate environmental regulations. Leadership is crucial in motivating such behaviors. This study, grounded in self-determination theory, explores how Environmental Responsible Leadership enhances employees’ Organizational Citizenship Behavior for the Environment through Psychological Empowerment. Additionally, we analyze the moderating role of Green Culture. Using a multi-wave survey design, data were collected from 262 corporate employees in China via the Credamo platform and analyzed through structural equation modeling (SEM) with AMOS 24.0 and hierarchical regression analysis with SPSS 26.0. The results reveal that Environmental Responsible Leadership significantly promotes the enhancement in Organizational Citizenship Behavior for the Environment. Psychological Empowerment serves as a significant mediator in this relationship, while Green Culture, as a supportive organizational context, amplifies the positive effects of Environmental Responsible Leadership on employees’ environmental behaviors. By elucidating the mechanisms and boundary conditions of Environmental Responsible Leadership, this study provides practical insights for organizations seeking to advance ecological conservation through leadership development and cultural nurturing. Full article

With the acceleration of urbanization and the continuous rise in private car ownership, urban traffic congestion has become a critical issue constraining sustainable development. As an important extension of carbon reduction policies, the personal carbon trading mechanism provides a new approach to regulate travel behavior through economic incentives. This study constructs a game model incorporating stakeholders from both government and private car owners, explores their decision-making behaviors under the personal carbon trading mechanism, and conducts simulation analysis of evolutionary paths using MATLAB 2019a. The findings reveal that choosing public transportation results from interactive strategic interactions between government and private car owners. Proactive implementation of personal carbon trading policies by the government can accelerate private car owners’ adoption of public transportation strategies. Reducing government implementation costs of personal carbon trading (PCT), increasing carbon trading costs for private cars (through higher carbon prices or lower allowances), and improving public transit comfort are key factors in achieving equilibrium between government and private car owners’ strategies. Carbon trading costs exhibit differentiated impacts on the convergence speed of both parties’ states. This research aims to provide decision-making references for governments in formulating and implementing personal carbon trading systems, as well as motivating private car owners to adopt green and environmentally friendly travel behaviors. Full article

This study explores how school principals evacuated from their schools in the wake of the 7 October 2023 war perceived their unique challenges, the strategies they adopted, and the ways in which their agency was shaped during the extreme crisis. Using semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 33 displaced principals from elementary, middle, secondary, and special education schools, we identified four interconnected dimensions of the principals’ agency during wartime. Intrapersonal agency reflected the principal’s inner identity as a foundation for action. Critical agency emerged from frustration with systemic failures and bureaucratic obstacles, motivating the pursuit of meaningful change. Collaborative agency was expressed in building and maintaining trust-based networks and partnerships that enabled effective solutions. Finally, proactive agency was driven by an internal desire for growth and influence, promoting innovative strategies and renewal processes at organizational, emotional, and community levels. This leadership framework for understanding principalship in wartime highlights agency as a holistic framework that enables principals not only to ensure the survival of their schools, but also to respond to chaotic realities. Practically, the findings inform the design of models for ensuring educational continuity in emergencies, and tailored support mechanisms for displaced educational communities. Full article

In recent years, despite the continuous improvement of China’s construction safety management systems and the adoption of advanced technologies, safety accidents remain frequent. This shift highlights the growing importance of human factors in construction safety. As the main labor force, the new generation of construction workers differs significantly from previous generations in values and motivation, reducing the effectiveness of traditional safety management models. This study investigates the direct effect of transformational leadership on the safety behavior of new-generation construction workers. Using survey data collected from construction enterprises in Guangdong Province, China, and applying structural equation modeling (SEM), the results reveal that transformational leadership has a significant positive impact on safety behavior. All four dimensions—idealized influence, inspirational motivation, idealized influence (charisma) and individualized consideration—positively influence both safety compliance and participation, with inspirational motivation exerting the strongest effect (β = 0.509 for compliance; β = 0.446 for participation). These findings indicate that leaders who articulate a compelling shared vision can effectively internalize safety norms and motivate proactive safety participation. This study enriches theoretical understanding of safety leadership mechanisms and provides practical guidance for construction enterprises to enhance safety performance through cultivating transformational leadership among managers. Full article

Background/Objective: Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) have received widespread attention as effective obesity treatments. However, limited research has examined the perspectives of patients contemplating GLP-1RAs. This study explored perceptions, motivations, and barriers among individuals considering GLP-1RA therapy for obesity treatment, with the goal of informing patient-centered care and enhancing clinician engagement. Methods: Adults completed surveys and interviews between June and November 2025. In this pragmatic mixed-methods study, both survey and interview questions explored perceived benefits, barriers, and decision-making processes. Qualitative data, describing themes based on the Health Belief Model, were analyzed using Dedoose (version 9.0.107), and quantitative data were analyzed using SAS (version 9.4). Participant characteristics included marital status, income, educational attainment, employment status, insurance status, age, race/ethnicity, and sex. Anticipated length on GLP-1RA medication and selected self-reported health conditions (depression, anxiety, hypertension, heart disease, back pain, joint pain), reported physical activity level, and perceived weight loss competency were also recorded. Results: Among the 31 non-diabetic participants who were considering GLP-1RA medication for weight loss, cost emerged as the most significant barrier. Life course events, particularly (peri)menopause among women over 44, were commonly cited as contributors to weight gain. Participants expressed uncertainty about eligibility, long-term safety, and treatment expectations. Communication gaps were evident, as few participants initiated discussions and clinician outreach was rare, reflecting limited awareness and discomfort around the topic. Conclusions: Findings highlight that individuals considering GLP-1RA therapy face multifaceted emotional, financial, and informational barriers. Proactive, empathetic clinician engagement, through validation of prior efforts, clear communication of risks and benefits, and correction of misconceptions, can support informed decision-making and align treatment with patient goals. Full article

Supply chain disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic exposed structural vulnerabilities of centrally controlled manufacturing systems, motivating renewed interest in organizational resilience within the context of Industry 5.0 human–cyber–physical systems. This study investigates how organizational decision-making paradigms and crisis-aware artificial intelligence (AI) jointly influence performance, crisis response, and recovery. An agent-based modeling (ABM) framework is developed to compare centralized, distributed, and self-organized organizational structures across 650 simulation runs under a controlled supply side disruption. A crisis-aware Q-learning architecture enables AI agents to shift from efficiency-oriented to stability-oriented strategies when resource scarcity is detected. To avoid baseline-dependent bias, resilience is evaluated using an absolute, capacity-normalized metric. Results indicate that self-organized systems consistently outperform centralized and distributed structures in baseline performance, crisis throughput, and recovery speed. The integration of crisis-aware AI further increases absolute resilience by approximately 10.7% and enables substantially higher throughput during disruption compared to hierarchical control. Enhanced performance is primarily driven by adaptive coalition formation, proactive resource conservation, and rapid post-crisis recovery supported by preserved coordination structures. These findings provide quantitative support for Industry 5.0’s human-centric principles and show that decentralized decision-making augmented by context-adaptive AI offers a robust organizational design strategy for volatile manufacturing environments. Full article

University teachers are key contributors to achieving the objectives of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), and their work engagement directly influences teaching quality, research productivity, and student development. However, the role of teachers’ internal resources in promoting work engagement has received limited empirical attention, particularly in Eastern cultural contexts. Based on the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model, this study examines how the satisfaction of basic psychological needs affects university teachers’ work engagement, with organizational identification and job satisfaction serving as potential mediators. A total of 483 participants completed the survey, and data were analyzed using mediation analysis. Results indicated that basic psychological need satisfaction was positively associated with teachers’ work engagement. Furthermore, organizational identification and job satisfaction both mediated this relationship, individually and sequentially, thereby enhancing teachers’ engagement through a chain mediation mechanism. These findings shed light on the psychological processes underlying university teachers’ work engagement and provide theoretical and practical implications for fostering sustained motivation and proactive participation in ESD-related teaching and research. This study also contributes to extending the application of the JD-R model in higher education settings. Full article