Deep-level dissimilarity and leader–member exchange (LMX) quality: the role of status

Purpose This study explores how status, demographic and positional, moderates the negative effect of deep-level dissimilarity on leader–member exchange (LMX) quality.Design/methodology/approach Data from three samples were analyzed using hierarchical linear regression and linear mixed-effects methods.Findings Results suggest that the negative effect of deep-level dissimilarity (perceived work-related attitude and perspective differences) on LMX quality is stronger when the LMX partner has low demographic status (e.g. the LMX partner is an African-American woman). This moderating effect was not significant when deep-level dissimilarity was extended to include differences in personality, interests and values. Results were mixed on whether low positional status (i.e. when the LMX partner is a member rather than a leader) strengthens the negative effect of deep-level dissimilarity on LMX quality.Practical implications This study may help leaders, organizational members and diversity managers better manage attitude and perspective dissimilarity in leader–member dyads.Originality/value This study expands research exploring interactive effects of dissimilarity and status on work-related outcomes. It is novel in that it explores status not in relative terms but at the societal level. It is also the first study to analyze the moderating effects of two types of status: demographic and positional.

Identity-related attitude in the child development centres for protecting educational asylum of early childhoods: From rural communities to schooling cities

The global identities of parents’ popularity in rural communities to make-decision effects of their attitudes to transfer their Early Childhood from Child Development Centres and Local Primary School for moving study into the schooling cities that looks like children’ asylum of their educational conditions, problems, administration’ school directors, teachers, and schools’ environments to protect that described. The involving CDCs’ perceptions got using the 25-item My CDC Identity Inventory (MCDCII) in five scales, three options. Teacher and Caregiver-Early Childhood interactions have assessed with the 30-item Questionnaires on Teacher Identity Interaction (QTII) in five scales on five options. The 10-item Local Identity-Related Attitude (LIRA) has been associated with a sample of 300 children’s parents, teachers, and caregivers. The determination of efficient predictive value (R2) shows that 30% of accepted the identities on cohesiveness, competitiveness, physical indoor and outdoor environmental development, satisfaction, and strong-sense identity. 74% of their CDCs can protect the educational asylum of early childhoods from rural communities. The R2 value shows 49% of the variance in children’s parents’ perceptions was because of the MCDCII have associated. Despite Thailand’s success in expanding educational access, new empirical evidence suggests that much more needs to be done to maximize the potential of its students. The performance gaps among schools have disadvantaged and poorer-performing students have concentrated in small rural village schools. The Thai pre-primary school system is dramatically lacking in qualified the CDCs’ learning environments and achievements, and teachers. It allocated small rural schools teachers with lower qualifications and teaching experience.

Development of TOSRA (Test of Science Related Attitudes) Instrument for Science Related Attitude Studies in Sindh Province

This study aims to explore the implementation of attitude measurement tool known as Test of Science-Related Attitudes (TOSRA) in Sindh. 1097 higher-secondary level students from Hyderabad division of Sindh participated in the study. The alpha reliability values of different scale of TOSRA were analysed and enhanced to acceptable and good level using statistical techniques. The alpha coefficients for adapted TOSRA scales were observed as; Social Implications of Science (0.707), Adoption of Scientific Attitudes (0.801), Classroom Enjoyment (0.779), Leisure Interest in Science (0.767) and Career Interest in Science (0.701). The overall alpha coefficient for adopted (five-scale) TOSRA questionnaire administered in this study was 0.912. Similarly, the values of discriminant validity of the scales were deduced using correlation techniques for these scales where mean correlation between the scales ranged from 0.49 to 0.57. The adopted version of TOSRA was developed based on the statistical analyses including Cronbach alpha, Pearson’s correlation, and factor analysis, and showed sufficient validity and reliability to be implemented in subsequent research to measure students’ attitude towards science in province of Sindh, Pakistan. Keywords: Attitude towards Science, TOSRA, Instrument development, Science Education, Higher secondary students

Global Prevalence and Drivers of Dental Students’ COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy

Background: Acceleration of mass vaccination strategies is the only pathway to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare professionals and students have a key role in shaping public opinion about vaccines. This study aimed to evaluate the attitudes of dental students globally towards COVID-19 vaccines and explore the potential drivers for students’ acceptance levels. Methods: A global cross-sectional study was carried out in February 2021 using an online questionnaire. The study was liaised by the scientific committee of the International Association of Dental Students (IADS), and data were collected through the national and local coordinators of IADS member organizations. The dependent variable was the willingness to take the COVID-19 vaccine, and the independent variables included demographic characteristics, COVID-19-related experience, and the drivers of COVID-19 vaccine-related attitude suggested by the WHO SAGE. Results: A total of 6639 students from 22 countries, representing all world regions, responded to the questionnaire properly. Their mean age was 22.1 ± 2.8 (17–40) years, and the majority were females (70.5%), in clinical years (66.8%), and from upper-middle-income economies (45.7%). In general, 22.5% of dental students worldwide were hesitant, and 13.9% rejected COVID-19 vaccines. The students in low- and lower-middle-income (LLMI) economies had significantly higher levels of vaccine hesitancy compared to their peers in upper-middle- and high-income (UMHI) economies (30.4% vs. 19.8%; p < 0.01). Conclusions: The global acceptance level of dental students for COVID-19 vaccines was suboptimal, and their worrisome level of vaccine hesitancy was influenced by the socioeconomic context where the dental students live and study. The media and social media, public figures, insufficient knowledge about vaccines, and mistrust of governments and the pharmaceutical industry were barriers to vaccination. The findings of this study call for further implementation of epidemiology (infectious diseases) education within undergraduate dental curricula.

COVID-19-Induced Hoarding Intention Among the Educated Segment in Indonesia

The media commonly reports panic buying amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Panic buying occurs when people engage in hoarding of basic needs as well as protective materials, which drives scarcity and price increases. There are four variables integrated in this study which are COVID-19-induced hoarding intention, COVID-19-related attitude, COVID-19-related knowledge, and health locus of control. This study gathered 265 university professors from 25 prominent public and private universities in Indonesia. To our best knowledge, this is the first study that discusses hoarding intention during the pandemic among the educated segment. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM analysis) via AMOS software was employed to test the hypotheses. This study reveals that (a) a better knowledge about the COVID-19 pandemic increases vigilance toward the COVID-19 pandemic and (b) a higher external health locus of control increases the COVID-19-induced hoarding intention. The theoretical contributions as well as managerial implications of this study, especially to policy makers, are provided.

Factors influencing the implementation of workplace health promotion in companies in rural areas

PurposeWorkplace health promotion (WHP) is becoming increasingly important due to the ageing workforce and a shortage of skilled workers. Nevertheless, too few companies have reacted to the demographic change and introduced health-promoting measures. This paper aims to identify which factors influence the implementation of WHP, especially in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in rural areas.Design/methodology/approach253 companies in a rural area in the federal state of Saxony (Germany) were surveyed using a standardised questionnaire via a computer-assisted telephone interview. Bivariate analyses and logistic regression models were carried out. The focus was on the relationship between the status of WHP and the size of the company, pressure of demographic change, health-related attitude and organisational capacity factors.FindingsIt was shown that, in addition to the control variables company size and pressure of the shortage of skilled workers, a company's attitude regarding health promotion, financial capacity and planning and development capacity has a relevant influence on the status of WHP.Practical implicationsBased on the results, targeted measures can be developed and converted to implement WHP, particularly in SMEs in rural regions. The focus should be on sensitisation, knowledge transfer and capacity development.Originality/valueThe present paper reveals the relationship between company size, pressure of demographic change, health-related attitude and organisational capacities regarding the status of health-promoting measures in SMEs in a rural region.

The Role of Organizational Politics, its Impact on Employee Job Attitude and Creativity: Exploration and Implications for the Higher Education Institutions

The aim of this study to put a light on basics of organizational politics and its negative and positive effects on the employee work related attitudes, more specifically in education sector. In universities administration and faculty are busy in dirty political games rather to pay more attention towards facilitating students for their educational purposes. In universities politics is considered as a dangerous element as the ultimate victim of this politics will be students. Although some studies claimed that politics could be a positive element in organizational growth and development. But, the negative side is heavier than imagination that needs more consideration. A survey has been conducted through a well-structured questionnaire among 100 respondents as well as teaching and administrative staff from different public universities of Sindh Province. The study concluded some significant work related attitudes and outcomes of politics. The main effects of analysis have also revealed that perceptions of politics have significant its impact on employee job attitude and creativity. Keywords: Organizational Politics, Job Attitude, Creativity, Work Related Attitude, Higher Education.

THE NON-VERBAL MODUS IN THE STRUCTURE ОF THE LONDON SUPERTEXT OF ENGLISH LINGUISTIC CULTURE. AS EXEMPLIFIED BY THE SOUND SUBTEXT

The article analyzes the verbal representation of the sound subtext from the London supertext of English linguistic culture. The study proceeds from the assumption that London supertext is constructed on the intersemiotic principle and is a product of several codes or, modi, rather than of language alone. London supertext is viewed as an invariable semantic cоnstruct, the total sum оf features be fоund in all the texts abоut this city, which have already been оr will potentially be written. Along with the combinations оf features, static and dynamic, the Lоndоn supertext incоrpоrates standard algorithms оf their deployment intо real textual sequences. The subtexts of London supertext are viewed as narrower thematic entities bound by a common propositional and modus-related attitude. The theoretical and methodical basis of the research cited in the article is determined by its оrientatiоn tоwards integrating the cоgnitive and semiоtic approaches, according tо which the mental culturallyspecific entity London is analyzed via a semantic study оf its supertext. The integration of the cognitive and the semiotic is effected within the framework of unified semantics. Semiotic analysis of the text in that case consists in singling out propositions of diverse degrees of similarity in it, in the selection and classification of predicates with which characters and “things” are endowed in the text, and in including the individual entities from the text into common categories, what uncovers the profoundest world-view from the perspective of the given text. The article proves that the analysis of mental entities carried out via examining their respective supertexts integration of cognitive and semiotic approaches permits tallying linguistics with literary studies and with secondary modelling semiotic systems under a general semiotic approach.