The Influence of Technical and Contextual Variables of the Last Stroke on Point Outcome in Men’s and Women’s Singles Badminton

The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of the technical and context-related variables of last strokes in rallies on the point outcomes of both men’s and women’s players in elite singles badminton matches. A total of 100 matches during the 2018 and 2019 seasons were analyzed, and the data of 4,080 men’s rallies and 4,339 women’s rallies were collected. The technical variables including strokes per rally, forehand strokes, overhead strokes, and defensive action, and the context-related variables including game status, result against serve, importance of rally, and importance of set, were modeled with Probit regression modeling as the predictor variables. The binary variables of “winner or not” and “error or not” were considered the response variables. The results showed that defensive actions had the greatest impacts on the winners and errors of both the men’s and women’s singles players, and the forehand and overhead strokes were negatively associated with the winners and errors of the women’s singles players and the winners of the men’s singles players. No significant effects were found for the strokes per rally on the winners and errors of the men’s singles players, while significant effects were found for the women’s singles players. The context-related variables appeared to have positive effects on the winners and negative effects on the errors of both sexes. These findings can provide important insights for coaches and players to evaluate their performances of last strokes in rallies and to improve training interventions and match tactics and strategies.

Two-Step Estimation of the Impact of Contextual Variables on Technical Efficiency of Hospitals: The Case Study of Public Hospitals in Iran

Background: Measuring the efficiency and productivity of hospitals is a key tool to cost contamination and management that is very important for any healthcare system for having an efficient system.Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of contextual factors on hospital efficiency in Iranian public hospitals.Methods: This was a quantitative and descriptive-analytical study conducted in two steps. First, we measured the efficiency score of teaching and non-teaching hospitals by using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method. Second, the relationship between efficiency score and contextual factors was analyzed. We used median statistics (first and third quarters) to describe the concentration and distribution of each variable in teaching and non-teaching hospitals, then the Wilcoxon test was used to compare them. The Spearman test was used to evaluate the correlation between the efficiency of hospitals and contextual variables (province area, province population, population density, and the number of beds per hospital).Results: On average, the efficiency score in non-teaching hospitals in 31 provinces was 0.67 and for teaching hospitals was 0.54. Results showed that there is no significant relationship between the efficiency score and the number of hospitals in the provinces (p = 0.1 and 0.15, respectively). The relationship between the number of hospitals and the population of the province was significant and positive. Also, there was a positive relationship between the number of beds and the area of the province in both types of teaching and non-teaching hospitals.Conclusion: Multilateral factors influence the efficiency of hospitals and to address hospital inefficiency multi-intervention packages focusing on the hospital and its context should be developed. It is necessary to pay attention to contextual factors and organizational architecture to improve efficiency.

Attitudes, Subjective Norms, and Perceived Control Versus Contextual Factors Influencing the Entrepreneurial Intentions of Students From Poland

Purpose: The article analyses the influence of personal and contextual variables on entrepreneurial intentions of students from Poland. The article presents a structural model that has been developed from a set of student perceptions. Chosen variables included in the model allows explaining and managing the formation of the intention in the context of higher education. This study provides answers to the following questions: What role and which personal variables do play importance in the formation of entrepreneurship intention in the case of young people? Which and how contextual variables are important to enhance personal variables for entrepreneurial intentions? Methodology: The research was carried out by using critical literature analysis as well as statistical research. In carrying out this work, a causal quantitative methodology (structural equation modeling) was applied using the Amos program. Factor analysis has also been used in a descriptive methodological context. The empirical research was conducted in first quarter of 2020. Findings: Research conducted on a sample of over 330 Polish students has shown that not all personal factors are statistically significant in assessing the entrepreneurial intentions of young people. As the results show, subjective norms do not play a significant role in the intention to take up self-employment. External (contextual) factors related to the broadly understood environment supporting the future entrepreneur play an important role, but much less clear than the factors at the individual level and generally indirectly influence entrepreneurial intentions, strengthening the entrepreneur's personal factors. Practical Implications: The results suppose a theoretical and practical contribution to the promotion of entrepreneur intentions of university students inside and outside the educational context. Entrepreneurship promotion programmes run by universities must focus on developing the attitude of the potential entrepreneurs, conveying the message that, despite all the obstacles that exist when launching a business, the entrepreneurship route can be an interesting alternative. Originality/Value: In the study, the personal and contextual factors influencing the entrepreneurial intentions of students were taken into account. The causal model generated on a sample of 332 Polish respondents shows the importance of individual factors on entrepreneurial intentions and the impact of contextual constructs on personal factors. Contextual variables (i.e. education, public policy, supporting entrepreneurial environments) were found to have a positive impact on personal variables as well as entrepreneurial intentions.

Juventude Juventudes: dos contornos sobre o conceito às implicações de um programa socioeducativo

Estudo qualitativo que se utiliza de dados quantitativos, inicialmente realiza reflexão sobre o fenômeno juventude, a partir da visão de estudiosos preocupados com a problemática. Ressalta a visão sociológica do conceito advogada por Bourdieu (1983), Margulis e Urresti, (1996), Sposito (2000, 2002), passando pela defesa de Peralva (1997) e Dayrell (2007). Confirma que, juventude é um conceito socialmente construído, portanto, influenciado por condições materiais, históricas e políticas. Situa a juventude pesquisada como parte daquela que pertence aos estratos sociais mais baixos, evidenciando assim a conjuntura e dados que se articulam com o referencial discutido, o qual fornece elementos para localizá-la como uma entre as várias juventudes existentes no contexto estudado, com o fito de identificar a condição juvenil dos egressos do ProJovem em estudo. Objetiva ainda apurar as implicações do programa no que se refere à continuação dos estudos e ao acesso às oportunidades de trabalho, finalidades estabelecidas pelo ProJovem, para os jovens que o frequentam. Em relação à metodologia deste trabalho, participaram da pesquisa 74 egressos, e foram realizados grupos focais e aplicação de questionário como instrumental de pesquisa. O resultado do estudo conclui que os jovens pesquisados não dispõem de moratória social, mas carregam em si a condição de juventude construída em torno deles e que, a despeito de inúmeras variáveis contextuais, o ProJovem contribuiu para que os egressos prosseguissem os estudos, embora estejam inseridos em trabalho considerados de menor valor social.Palavras-chave: Condição de juventude; Construto social; Prosseguimento da escolarização.Youth Youths: from the contours about the concept to the implications of a socio-educational programABSTRACTQualitative study that uses quantitative data, reflects on the phenomenon of youth, from the perspective of scholars concerned with the issue. It highlights the sociological view of the concept advocated by Bourdieu (1983), Margulis; Urresti, (1996), Sposito (2000/2002), passing through the defense of Peralva (1997) and Dayrell (2007). It confirms that youth is a socially constructed concept, therefore, influenced by material, historical and political conditions. It places the researched youth as the part that belongs to the lowest social strata, thus evidencing the situation and data that articulate with the discussed framework, which provides elements to locate it as one among the various youths existing in the studied context, with the aim of identifying the youth condition of the ProJovem graduates under study. It also aims to investigate the implications of the program with regard to the continuation of studies and access to work opportunities, purposes established by ProJovem, for the young people who attend it. Regarding the methodology of this work, 74 graduates participated in the research, and focus groups and a questionnaire were applied as research tools. The result of the study concludes that the young people surveyed do not have a social moratorium, but carry within themselves the condition of youth built around them and that, despite numerous contextual variables, PROJOVEM contributed to the graduates continuing their studies, even though they are inserted in work considered of lesser social value.Keywords: Status of youth; Social construct; Continuation of schooling.Juventud Juventudes: de los contornos del concepto a las implicaciones de un programa socioeducativoRESUMENEstudio cualitativo que utiliza datos cuantitativos, inicialmente reflexiona sobre el fenómeno de la juventud, desde la perspectiva de los estudiosos preocupados com el tema. Enfatiza la visión sociológica del concepto defendida por Bourdieu (1983), Margulis; Urresti, (1996), Sposito (2000/2002), pasando por la defensa de Peralva (1997) y Dayrell (2007). Confirma que la juventud es un concepto construido socialmente, por lo tanto, influenciado por las condiciones materiales, históricas y políticas. Sitúa a los jóvenes investigados como parte de aquellos que pertenecen a los estratos sociales más bajos, evidenciando así la situación y los datos que se articulan con el tema discutido, lo que brinda elementos para ubicarlos como um grupo a más entre los diversos jóvenes existentes en el contexto estudiado, con el fin de identificar la condición juvenil de los egresados del Projovem en estudio. También tiene como objetivo investigar las implicaciones del programa en cuanto a la continuación de estudios y el acceso a oportunidades laborales, fines establecidos por el ProJovem, para los jóvenes que de él participan. En cuanto a la metodología de este trabajo, 74 egresados participaron de la investigación, y se aplicaron grupos focales y un cuestionario como herramientas de investigación. El resultado del estudio concluye que los jóvenes estudiados no tienen una moratoria social, sino que llevan consigo la condición de juventud construida en torno a ellos y que, a pesar de numerosas variables contextuales, el ProJovem contribuyó para que los egresados continuaran sus estudios, a pesar de estar inseridos en trabajos considerados de menor valor social. Palabras clave: Situación de la juventud; Construcción social; Búsqueda de la escolarización.

Why am I learning English? Spanish EFL sports science university students´ motivational orientations through the prism of the L2 motivational self system

The study explores the motivational profiles of Spanish EFL sports science university students from the second language (L2) motivation self system (L2MSS) perspective to ultimately support Spanish higher institutions´ plans committed to improving employability and competitiveness. The study analyzes the relationships between L2 motivation, L2 proficiency, gender, and L2 contextual variables using data from 196 English as a foreign language (EFL) sports science university students. The data reveal that the ideal L2 self construct stands out as the most salient and powerful factor, while the ought-to and rebellious L2 selves are less significant and there are items loading on both of them at the same time. Thus, higher means for the ideal L2 self motivation correspond to higher levels of L2 proficiency and are supported by L2 learning contextual variables. The strongest ought-to L2 self was registered in students with mid-low L2 proficiency and a lack of L2 learning experiences. Meanwhile, the rebellious L2 self is clearly distinguishable only for students with high L2 proficiency. Pedagogical and curricular implications of these findings are that the ideal and the rebellious L2 selves could positively predict students´ L2 proficiency. Thus, new dynamics of education should explore language teaching methodologies that are more likely to enhance students´ ideal and rebellious L2 selves.

Presenting a Model of Organizational Insentience in the Red Crescent Society

Introduction: One of the factors that can create the necessary commitment among employees for the success of the organization is the prevailing atmosphere of the organization. In other words, a proper atmosphere and favorable moral climate help to improve performance, achieve goals, and maintain communication in the organization and play a vital role in the performance of the organization (in any field of work). Therefore, this study aimed to explain and design a spirituality-based work ethic model in the workplace in the Crisis Management Organization, Tehran, Iran. Method: This applied research was conducted based on a mixed methodology. The statistical population of this study in the qualitative part consisted of 128 directors of Tehran Crisis Management Organization in 2020-2021, reaching saturation with 19 people. Moreover, the statistical population of this study in the quantitative part included the staff of Tehran Crisis Management Organization in 2020-2021, among which 250 samples were selected based on Cochran's formula. The samples were chosen using stratified random sampling method and the instruments employed in the qualitative and quantitative parts were an exploratory and semi-structured interview and a researcher-made questionnaire, respectively. The collected data were analyzed in MAXQDA-2020 software and AMOS-26 software in the qualitative and quantitative parts, respectively. The AMOS software was used to measure the structural equation modeling and analyze the model fit indices. Findings: According to the findings, the work ethic model was based on spirituality in the workplace. In this model, ethical commitment, professional commitment, and relationship commitment were considered causal conditions of spirituality-based work ethic in the workplace in the Crisis Management Organization. Moreover, organizational ethical climate, Islamic ethical culture, ethical leadership, and ethical and Islamic education were respectively considered a pivotal phenomenon, interactive strategies, intervening conditions, and contextual variables of spirituality-based work ethic in the workplace in the Crisis Management Organization. Conclusion: The results of showed that all the reviewed indices were accepted to evaluate the fit of the modified structural model of the research. Given this, it can be said that the fit of this model was "approved". Furthermore, the total effect values of contextual variables, causal conditions, intervening conditions, strategies and interactions, and pivotal variables on spirituality-based work ethic in the workplace were obtained at 0.40, 0.51, 0.38, 0.65, and 0.61, respectively. The p-value of < 0.01 was considered significant.