Socialisation of Gamification

This chapter offers an introduction to using gaming technology as a learning tool to improve retention, engagement, and motivation for the learner. We will be exploring how social/community elements are having a direct impact on enhancing positive practices through motivation techniques to challenging the learner's competence through pushing their individual abilities without them getting frustrated all the time.

Perceived Parenting Styles of Individuals With Gender Dysphoria

Objective: To map patterns of behavior of parents and/or caregivers as perceived by their adult children, transgender patients seen through the Programa Transdisciplinar de Identidade de Gênero, and to determine if one parenting style was more prevalent.Design: 82 patients were interviewed by the Parenting Style Inventory.Results: The 82 patients (32 transgender men and 50 transgender women) completed a total of 145 protocols, being 65 concerning their fathers, and 80 concerning their mothers. The transgender women’s perceptions of their mothers were significantly different from those concerning their fathers. The transgender men and women had a positive mean perception of their relationship with their mothers and a negative mean perception of their fathers. The transgender women had on average a positive perception of their relationship with their mothers and a negative perception of their relationship with their fathers. This difference in perception was primarily in positive practices; the women felt that their mothers exhibited more positive practices of Positive Monitoring (A) and Moral Behavior (B) than their fathers. When we compared negative practices, negligence alone was considered the worst parental pattern by both transgender men and women.Conclusion: Our study shows that fathers, more so than mothers, need to be encouraged to participate in the process of understanding the transgender condition and that in general, families need to be supported by mental health professionals to provide a more welcoming environment for individuals with Gender Dysphoria.

Impact of happiness-enhancing activities and positive practices on employee well-being

Purpose Psychology studies have gradually evolved in the past decades from examining negative to positive states of mind. This has led to an increasing interest in understanding the well-being of individuals. Further, organizational research has demonstrated a positive impact of employee well-being on key business indicators. Drawing from positive psychology, this study examines the impact of happiness-enhancing activities and positive practices (HAPP) on employee well-being. Design/methodology/approach This study was conducted in an emerging information technology firm in India. Using validated measures, this study designed an online survey that was completed by 54 employees of the firm. Findings Employees largely perceived the HAPP as important but reported low levels of engagement in most activities or practices. Using hierarchical linear regression, this study found that self-concordant work significantly impacted employee’s job satisfaction and job-related affective well-being. Practical implications Leaders must harness the synergy between individual and organizational growth by providing self-concordant work contexts in which employee’s key skills, competencies and strengths are leveraged. Originality/value This study contributes to the existing scant literature on HAPP. Further, in a first, this study uses these psychological interventions in the context of workplace and assesses their impact on employee well-being which itself is an area of growing interest among academicians and practitioners.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of University students towards Antibiotic Use and Resistance: Questionnaire Based Assessment

Antibiotic resistance is a serious health crisis all over the world and students of biological sciences should have proper awareness to combat the problem. This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) towards antibiotic use and resistance among university students of biological sciences in Pakistan. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted amongst 826 students of biological sciences programs from eight major Pakistani universities during September-November 2020. A self-administered online questionnaire was developed which consisted of four dimensions: sociodemographic characteristics (3 questions) and assessment of the knowledge, attitude and practices with 13, 6 and 11 questions, respectively. Association of KAP scores with sociodemographic characteristics was analyzed by nonparametric analysis i.e., Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis H test (p-value < 0.05). The sample comprised more females (82.9%) than males while most of the respondents belonged to 21-23 years and enrolled in the master’s degree. The overall knowledge score (correct answer) was 74.7% which was significantly associated with gender, age and degree. The positive attitude score (87.9%) was significantly higher in >23 years age group. Around 75% of the surveyed students had positive practices. The scores were observed significantly higher in females, 21-23 years age group and doctoral students. The study provides baseline evidence about the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding antibiotic use and resistance among biology students. Overall, good positive attitude was depicted by participants however level of knowledge and positive practices was found lower and declared as moderate. Academic interventions such as lectures, courses, seminars and workshops on antibiotic use, along with establishing open-access antibiotic-resistance learning sites and use of mainstream and social media platforms, etc., are needed to improve the awareness and practices of university students of biological sciences with regards to the rational use of antibiotics.

Positive practices of the catering industry of the Russian Federation in the COVID-19 pandemic

The novelty of the study is the generalization and analysis of statistical data obtained as a result of various sociological and scientific studies on the impact of the COV-ID-19 pandemic on the activities of the public catering sector in the Russian Federation. The authors carried out a study of positive practices that allowed the industry enterprises to continue to operate in self-isolation and improve financial results with the easing of restrictions. Among them are simplified terms for renting premises; sale of finished products by delivery to the direct consumer or pickup; non-standard formats of catering enterprises; restoration of demand for catering; application of new technologies in the process of cooking; introduction of vending machines in the catering industry; cooperation of catering enterprises with the tourism business.

Impact of positive practices on turnover intention, in-role performance and organisational citizenship behaviour

Orientation: The literature on positive organisational scholarship (POS) could offer valuable suggestions on how to rekindle a sense of positivity amongst teachers. Under the POS umbrella, the current study specifically focusses on positive practices, as the research study shows the importance of a positive school climate for teachers and learners.Research purpose: This study set out to inspect associations amongst positive practices, turnover intention, in-role performance and organisational citizenship behaviours (OCBs) (towards others and the organisation).Motivation for the study: Although positive practices is not a novel construct, scientific enquiry into the topic has been scarce.Research approach/design and method: A cross-sectional survey design with 258 secondary school teachers from the Sedibeng East and West districts was used. The Positive Practices, Turnover Intention, OCB and In-Role Behaviour scales were administered. Structural equation modelling was used for hypotheses testing.Main findings: The results of this study confirmed the negative association between positive practices and turnover intention, whereas positive associations were established amongst positive practices, in-role performance (to a lesser extent) and the two different types of OCBs used in this study.Practical/managerial implications: Organisations are faced with two options: create a respectful, supportive, caring, inspirational, meaningful and forgiving organisational environment for employees and see them prosper and take the organisation to greater heights, or treat them poorly and bear the consequences.Contribution/value-add: This study makes a valuable contribution to POS through the assessment of outcomes associated with positive practices that have not been studied previously.

Self-determination and inclusion: The role of Canadian principals in catalysing inclusive-positive practices

While the placement of students with complex learning needs in Canadian classrooms may be mandated in policy, the development of inclusive-positive practices requires direct, and at times delicate, support and encouragement from principal teams. Without genuine engagement and buy-in from teachers and school staff, students in inclusive classrooms may not find meaningful opportunities in those spaces. Often, it falls on principals to be leaders of attitudes and practices so that inclusive school communities can thrive. Fortunately, the framework of self-determination theory provides a path by which principals can catalyse attitudinal changes (autonomy), best practices (competences), and enriched community relationships (relatedness). This study includes the questionnaire responses of 275 principals (and vice principals) from six provinces in Canada. Of those 275 participants, 46 principals also participated in interviews. The findings of this study suggest that affecting attitudinal changes requires specific and comprehensive practices. Principals also need to model inclusive-positive attitudes in their behaviour and practice. Finally, the careful curation and maintenance of relationships is a necessary for the well-being of the school communities. Implications for principal practice and school well-being are included.

Public Knowledge and Practices Regarding Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Cross-Sectional Survey From Pakistan

Objectives: Effective mitigation of coronavirus diseases (COVID-19) pandemic requires true adoption of precautionary measures by the masses, that primarily depends upon their knowledge and practices behaviors. The current study aimed to assess the knowledge; practices of Pakistani residents regarding COVID-19 and factors associated with adequate knowledge and positive practices.Material and Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted from 15-April 2020 to 20 May 2020 among 689 Pakistanis by using a validated self-administered questionnaire (Cronbach's alpha 0.77). The questionnaire included questions on the assessment of demographics, the source of information, knowledge, and practice of COVID-19 on google forms and shared links with the WhatsApp groups, Facebook pages and other online platforms. Regression analysis was applied to find potential predictors of knowledge and practices.Results: Of 689 participants, 431 (62.6%) were male, 64.3% (n = 443) were aged &lt;30 years, and\328 (47.6%) of participants were married. 48.19% (n = 332) had adequate knowledge; 81% (n = 555) had positive practices regarding COVID-19 and majority (66.62%, n = 459) seek knowledge from social media. Knowledge was significantly higher (OR &gt; 1.00, p &lt; 0.05) among educated and higher income participants. Positive practices were significantly (OR &gt; 1.00, p &lt; 0.05) related to the older age (≥50 years), higher education, higher income and good knowledge regarding COVID-19.Conclusion: The study concluded that Pakistani residents had average knowledge and good practices toward COVID-19 yet there are gaps in specific aspects of knowledge, and practice that should be focused in future awareness and educational campaigns. The study recommends the ministry of health authorities to promote all precautionary and preventive measures of COVID-19-consisting of a better-organized approach to all strata of society: less privileged people, older ones and less educated people, in order to have equilibrium of knowledge about COVID-19; hence effective implementation of precautionary measures.

Public Knowledge and Practices Regarding Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Cross-Sectional Survey from Pakistan

Background:Effective mitigation of coronavirus diseases (COVID-19) pandemic required true adoption of precautionary measures by the masses, that primarily depends upon their knowledge and practices behaviors. The current study aimed to evaluate the knowledge; practices of Pakistani residents regarding COVID-19 and factors associated with good knowledge and positive practices. Methods:A cross-sectional online survey was conducted from 15-April 2020 to 20 May 2020 among 689 Pakistanis by using a validated self-administered questionnaire. Regression analysis was applied to find potential predictor of knowledge and practices. Results:Of 689 participants, around 48% had good knowledge; 80% had good practices regarding COVID-19 and majority seek knowledge from social media. Knowledge was significantly higher (OR>1.00, p<0.05) among educated and higher income participants. Positive practices were significantly (OR>1.00, p<0.05) related to the older age (≥50 years), higher education, higher income and good knowledge regarding COVID-19. Conclusion:The study concluded that Pakistani residents had average knowledge and practices towards COVID-19 yet there are gaps in specific aspects of knowledge, and practice that should be focused in future awareness and educational campaigns. The study recommends the ministry of health authorities to promote all precautionary and preventive measures of COVID-19-consisting of a better-organized approach- to all strata of society: less privileged people, older ones and less educated people, in order to have equilibrium of knowledge about COVID-19; hence effective implementation of precautionary measures.