Self-efficacy as a moderator of information-seeking effectiveness

Goal-Related Feedback Seeking, Receiving Goal-Related Feedback, and Internal Work Motivation: A Two-Sample Mediation Study Using Human Service Case Managers

PURPOSE

No known published empirical study in the social work literature has investigated goal-related feedback seeking's direct or indirect impact on human service case managers. Consequently, this field survey study sought to fill this gap in the extant literature using two different samples of county-based human service case managers across the state of New York.

METHOD

Four hundred and sixty-three public assistance and 349 child welfare case managers were surveyed in order to test goal-related feedback seeking's main and receiving goal-related feedback's mediating effect on internal work motivation.

RESULTS

Data from each sample confirmed both types of effects.

DISCUSSION

As the first to uncover these two sets of findings, this field survey study makes a unique contribution to the social work and feedback seeking literatures.

Examining the Theory of Motivated Information Management (TMIM) in the COVID-19 Pandemic

In order to inform understanding of the public's health information management during the COVID-19 pandemic, we applied a modification of TMIM from a serial mediation model to a conditional process model (moderated mediation). In doing so, the current study attempted to refine some of the relational propositions of the original TMIM with a focus on efficacy while addressing the distinction between a mediator and a moderator in a behavioral decision model. Findings from an online survey of U.S. adults (n = 488) demonstrated that anxiety can positively motivate evaluation of information seeking during the COVID-19 pandemic context, a unique context of application for TMIM. Efficacy was found to be qualified as an individual difference variable that moderates the relationships of uncertainty perception and health decision. Our newly proposed conditional process framework of the TMIM opens research directions in health information-seeking and encourages researchers to continuously incorporate updated methodological thought and approach in applying and building communication theory.

The status and associated factors of junior nurses' transition shock: A cross-sectional study

AIM

To analyse junior nurses^' transition shock status and its associated factors.

BACKGROUND

When nurses experience transition shock, turnover intentions followed by turnover behaviour are likely, which is unfavourable for the stable development of nursing teams.

METHODS

Using convenience sampling, 1,148 Chinese junior nurses were recruited. Those recruited completed a demographic questionnaire and the head nurses' humanistic care behaviour for nurses, feedback-seeking behaviour and transition shock of nurses scales. Data and associated factors of transition shock were analysed using SPSS and univariate and multivariate analyses, respectively.

RESULTS

Head nurses' humanistic care behaviour and nurses^' feedback-seeking behaviour were significantly and negatively correlated with junior nurses' transition shock (mean score: 2.87 ± 0.85). Income satisfaction, head nurses' humanistic care behaviour, night shift frequency and educational background entered the regression equation.

CONCLUSIONS

Transition shock exists not only in new nurses but also in junior nurses with ≤5-year service. Those dissatisfied with their income have frequent night shifts, and higher education backgrounds have higher levels of transition shock.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Head nurses need to reduce transition shock of nurses with ≤5-year service by integrating humanistic care into nursing management and creating a friendly environment to stimulate feedback-seeking behaviour.

Learning Goal Orientation and Academic Performance: A Dynamic model

Drawing on the reciprocal determinism of self-regulation system, a process-based model is used to examine the relationship of learning goal orientation (LGO) among university students with their academic performance, via reciprocal relationships between initial status and change trajectories in academic self-efficacy and feedback-seeking behaviors. A longitudinal study of 316 Chinese university students throughout their first year in college reveals that students who have high LGO in their first month after entering the university generally have higher academic self-efficacy and seek more feedback. Moreover, initial levels of feedback seeking are positively related to academic performance via linear change in academic self-efficacy over time. Limitations of the study and practical implications are discussed.

Evaluation of Japanese people's perception of risk information for making decisions to receive influenza and rubella vaccinations

BACKGROUND

Generally, vaccination uptake in Japan lags behind World Health Organization targets.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to understand how risk information and advice affect intention to receive vaccinations.

METHODS

This study had a within-subjects design. An online survey based on the Health Belief Model was sent to 2501 Japanese individuals (≧20 years) to assess the intention to be vaccinated for influenza and rubella after receiving minor and severe risk information and hypothetical advice about each vaccine. Regression analysis was used to measure changes in intentions to receive each vaccination after being provided with (1) risk information about each vaccine and (2) hypothetical encouragement and discouragement to be vaccinated.

MAIN OUTCOMES

The main outcomes included changes in vaccination intentions from baseline.

RESULTS

Forty-one percent (N = 1030) of those sent the survey completed it. At baseline, 43% and 65% of the respondents intended to have influenza and rubella vaccinations, respectively. Being provided with information about severe risks and susceptibility increased the intention to have the influenza vaccination among females in their 40s. Receiving inaccurate and discouraging information from one's mother significantly decreased the intention to have the rubella vaccination. Women 50 and older were more likely to intend not to have vaccination for rubella. Severe risk information decreased rubella vaccination intention in all age groups, except women in their 30s and 40s (p < .05).

CONCLUSION

For both vaccinations, older individuals demonstrated vaccine hesitancy. This group requires tailored messaging to help them understand their vulnerability (to influenza) and their role in transmission (for rubella) to encourage uptake of essential vaccinations.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

Members of the Japanese public responded to our online questionnaire on vaccination risk.

Toward the dialectical evaluation of online information: the roles of personality, self-efficacy and attitude

Purpose

User behavior in online information evaluation is the result of a multitude of factors related to social, cultural, personal and psychological issues. The present study aimed to examine the effects of three important psychological variables including personality, self-efficacy and attitude on online information evaluation.

Design/methodology/approach

Four validated measures were administrated in person and online among 355 postgraduate students at Shahed University, Tehran, Iran. For testing the possible relationships among the variables, the reliability, normality and Pearson correlation tests were performed by using SPSS 24.0. Moreover, to test the ten hypotheses of the research, the structural equation modeling was considered using AMOS 26.0.

Findings

The findings confirmed the first five research hypotheses indicating the direct positive relationships among the four variables except for the impact of self-efficacy on attitude. The mediated effects of the variables were not supported except for the mediating role of attitude in the impact of personality on online evaluation behavior. The variable personality was found to be fundamental among the tested paths because it influenced the information evaluation behavior, both directly and indirectly.

Originality/value

The study showed the impacts of the three variables, which demonstrates that online information evaluation is greatly affected by psychological factors.

Job Seekers’ Self-Directed Learning Activities Explained Through the Lens of Regulatory Focus

This study aimed to understand the role of regulatory focus for influencing self-directed learning activities during a job search. The authors surveyed 185 job-searching university students at two time points to explore the conditions under which regulatory focus (promotion and prevention foci) impacts self-directed learning activities and the number of employment interviews secured. Both promotion and prevention foci showed significant relationships with self-directed learning activities and number of interviews, and positive and negative affect partially mediated these relationships. The relationships between both regulatory focus strategies and self-directed learning were also contingent on self-efficacy. More specifically, prevention focus and self-directed learning showed a positive relationship for job seekers with high levels of self-efficacy but a negative one for job seekers with low levels of self-efficacy. This research extends the understanding of the role of regulatory focus in the context of self-directed learning during a job search. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Predicting Turnover: The Moderating Effect of Functional Climates on Emotional Exhaustion and Work Attitudes

High levels of emotional exhaustion are frequently reported among clinicians working in community mental health settings. This study draws on social exchange theory and examines the relationships between emotional exhaustion and mental health provider work attitudes and turnover, and the moderating effect of functional psychological climates. Data were analyzed using multilevel structural equation modeling in a sample of 311 mental health providers from 49 community mental health programs. Results revealed that emotional exhaustion was negatively related to work attitudes, and the relationship was moderated by functional climates characterized by high levels of cooperation, growth and advancement opportunities, and role clarity. Specifically, the relationship between emotional exhaustion and work attitudes was attenuated for providers working in programs with a more functional psychological climate. Lower work attitudes significantly predicted higher clinician turnover. Results are discussed as they relate to improving climates and enhancing mental health provider and organizational well-being.

Social Media Usage and Tertiary Students’ Academic Performance: Examining the Influences of Academic Self-Efficacy and Innovation Characteristics

The universal growth of social media usage among tertiary students has been linearly associated with academic performance. As social media use continues its constant growth, its application among tertiary students is inevitable. Its influence on academic performance turns out to be an ever more important question to think about. Researchers have mixed results, some found social media usage having little to no effect, and others found negative and positive effects on academic performance. Using a sample of 808 students in ten public tertiary institutions, this study makes an effort on how to deal with these differing outcomes and to investigate the effect of social media usage on tertiary students’ academic performance. We explored the relationship of the frequency of students’ use of social media for educational purposes and their academic performance, as measured by their cumulative grade point average (i.e., CGPA) with academic self-efficacy and innovation characteristics as mediator and moderator, respectively. The results revealed that social media usage for educational purposes positively related to academic performance. It also demonstrated that the use of social media can negatively affect academic performance. This study makes it more noticeable the effect of academic self-efficacy as a mediator in further improving the academic performance of students. Additionally, the empirical results of the study demonstrated that the moderating effect of innovation characteristics between social media usage and academic performance was stronger. The practical relevance of the study is to help governments, politicians, policy makers, students, educational institutions, and other stakeholders to carve specific policies, guidelines, and initiatives in support of social media usage as an innovative and effective tool for learning and sustainable academic performance.

Effect of Team-based Learning using Reflection Journal on Pregnancy Nursing Course for Nursing Students

PURPOSE

To examine the applicability of a team-based learning using reflection journal in Women's Health Nursing for nursing students.

METHODS

This study had a nonequivalent control group non-synchronized design. Participants were 140 third-year undergraduate nursing students who agreed to participate in this study. The experimental group (n=70) received twice team-based learning using reflection journal about pregnancy nursing course while the control group (n=70) received only team-based learning. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, χ2 test, Fisher's exact test, and independent t-test using SPSS 23.0 program.

RESULTS

Compared to the control group, the experimental group reported significant positive changes in critical thinking (t=2.03, p=.044). Problem-solving, self-leadership, or academic self-efficacy of nursing college students was not significantly different between the two groups.

CONCLUSION

Team-based learning using reflection journal is an effective teaching strategy to enhance critical thinking of nursing students.

The interrelationships among job satisfaction, work–home interference and psychological contract breach

This study aims to expand the literature on work–home interference, job satisfaction and psychological contracts. Using a two-wave panel survey, this study tests an explanatory model using data collected from 414 employees of three Egypt-based organizations. Consistent with the developed hypotheses, the results indicate a reciprocal negative relationship between employees’ work–home interference and job satisfaction. Moreover, psychological contract breach is negatively associated with job satisfaction. Furthermore, a moderating role of psychological contract breach in the relationship between work–home interference and job satisfaction is supported. In other words, a higher level of psychological contract breach intensifies the negative impact of work–home interference on job satisfaction. Implications for theory, research and practice and directions for future research with cultural emphasis are discussed.

Consequences of Team Job Demands: Role Ambiguity Climate, Affective Engagement, and Extra-Role Performance

In the absence of clearly established procedures in the workplace, employees will experience a negative affective state. This situation influences their well-being and their intention to behave in ways that benefit the organization beyond their job demands. This impact is more relevant on teamwork where members share the perception of ambiguity through emotional contagion (role ambiguity climate). In the framework of the job demands-resources model, the present study analyzes how high levels of role ambiguity climate can have such an effect to reduce employee affective engagement. Over time it has been associated with negative results for the organization due to a lack of extra-role performance. The sample included 706 employees from a multinational company, who were divided into 11 work teams. In line with the formulated hypotheses, the results confirm the negative influence of the role ambiguity climate on extra-role performance, and the mediated effect of affective engagement in the relationship between the role ambiguity climate and extra-role performance. These findings indicate that the role ambiguity climate is related to the adequate or inadequate functioning of employees within a work context.

Career Commitment in STEM

In this article, we draw insights from the employee–organization framework to test a model linking offered inducements and expected contributions to career commitment through organizational commitment. Data were collected from 396 full-time chemists and laboratory specialists who work in a large health-care organization in China. Results revealed that organizational commitment mediated the relationships between employee–organization framework (i.e., offered inducements and expected contributions) and career commitment. Moderated mediation analyses further revealed that the conditional indirect effects of offered inducements in predicting career commitment via organizational commitment were stronger for high as opposed to low expected contributions. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Perceived Dissimilarity and Work Group Involvement: The Moderating Effects of Group Openness to Diversity

Perceived dissimilarity and its association with work group involvement were examined in this study. Additionally, perceived group openness to diversity was examined as a moderator of this relationship. A longitudinal study was conducted with nurses in four departments of a public hospital. Results revealed that visible dissimilarity was negatively associated with work group involvement at both times, and informational dissimilarity was negatively associated with work group involvement at Time 1. Openness to diversity interacted with visible and informational dissimilarity in the prediction of work group involvement at both times. This interaction pattern showed that there was a negative relationship between dissimilarity and work group involvement when individuals perceived low group openness to diversity, whereas there was no relationship when individuals perceived high group openness to diversity. Results highlight the importance of managing perceptions of difference and introducing norms that encourage the active involvement of group members.

Dynamics of Social Capital: Effects of Performance Feedback on Network Change

We present a theory of social capital dynamics. In particular, we examine how individuals in organizations respond to events such as performance evaluations by changing whom they interact with and the extent to which they utilize their contacts. We argue that positive performance feedback from supervisors increases levels of self-efficacy and results in the creation of new social capital as well as the increased utilization of existing social capital (i.e., forming new ties with sources of information and aid, and increasing interactions with existing contacts). In addition, negative feedback decreases self-efficacy, resulting in reallocation of social capital utilization to concentrate on a small number of existing frequently-accessed contacts (i.e., decreasing interactions with some contacts while increasing interactions with others). Our arguments highlight the role of individual agency in social capital dynamics and clarify the role that individual performance evaluations can play in the evolving structure of social networks. To test our hypotheses, we use a longitudinal social network data-set collected over a six-year period in the IT department of a global engineering firm. Using fixed-effects panel regression models, we find support for our hypotheses, suggesting that performance feedback is a determinant factor in social capital dynamics.

Longitudinal qualitative exploration of cancer information-seeking experiences across the disease trajectory: the INFO-SEEK protocol

INTRODUCTION

Α substantial corpus of literature has sought to describe the information-seeking behaviour of patients with cancer. Yet, available evidence comes mainly from cross-sectional studies, which provide 'snapshots' of patients' information needs and information-seeking styles at a single time point. Only a few longitudinal studies currently exist; however, these are quantitative in nature and, despite successfully documenting changes in patients' information needs throughout the clinical course of cancer, they have failed to provide an evidence-based interpretation of the causes and consequences of change. The goal of this study is threefold: First, we wish to provide a holistic understanding of how cancer information-seeking behaviour may evolve across different stages of the patient journey. Second, we will seek to elucidate the contextual and intervening conditions that may affect possible changes in information seeking. Third, we will attempt to identify what the consequences of these changes are, while heightening their implications for clinical practice and policy.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

We will carry out a longitudinal qualitative study, based on face-to-face, in-depth interviews with approximately 25 individuals diagnosed with cancer. Patients will be recruited from 2 oncology hospitals located in Ticino, Switzerland, and will be interviewed at 3 different time points: (1) within 2 weeks after receiving the cancer diagnosis; (2) within 2 weeks after their initial treatment; and (3) 6 months after their initial treatment. All interviews will be recorded and transcribed verbatim. A grounded theory approach will be used for the analysis of the data.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The study protocol has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Canton Ticino (CE 2813). Participation in the study will be voluntary, and confidentiality and anonymity ensured. Prior to study participation, patients will be asked to provide signed informed consent. Findings will be disseminated in international peer-reviewed journals and presented in relevant conferences.

Seeking feedback but unable to improve work performance? Qualified feedback from trusted supervisors matters

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the boundary conditions in the relationship between feedback-seeking behavior (FSB) and work performance. The authors hypothesized that the positive influence of employees’ FSB on their work performance is influenced by perceived quality of feedback. The authors also expected that employees’ trust in their supervisors moderated the interaction between their FSB and perceived feedback quality.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were collected from 202 employees in South Korea. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed to test the hypothesis.

Findings

– The results showed that while employees’ FSB was positively related to work performance, the influence was stronger for employees who perceived they were receiving high quality of feedback from supervisors. The authors also found that the moderating effect of feedback quality on the relationship between FSB and work performance was stronger when employees had high levels of trust in their supervisors.

Practical implications

– The findings suggest that if managers wish to encourage employees to achieve work goal and desirable performance levels by actively engaging in FSB, they should pay more attention to providing high quality of feedback and building trust with employees.

Originality/value

– This study contributes to expand the understanding of FSB-work performance relationship by verifying the boundary conditions, which suggests the importance of examining the moderating factors in the FSB mechanism.

Self-efficacy and self-management behaviors in patients with chronic kidney disease

Although past research has examined self-management among patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), little is known about self-management in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). In this cross-sectional survey (no intervention), 174 patients with CKD (serum creatinine > or =1.7 mg/dL) completed self-reported measures of self-efficacy, physical and mental functioning, and self-management. The purpose of the study was to explore the association between patients' perceived self-efficacy and their self-management behaviors. Five types of self-management behaviors were measured: communication with caregivers, partnership in care, self-care, self-advocacy, and medication adherence. Controlling for other relevant variables including age, education, diabetic status, hypertension, serum creatinine, physical functioning, and mental health functioning, higher perceived self-efficacy scores were associated with increased communication, partnership, self-care, and medication-adherence behaviors. In this study, patients' perceived self-efficacy was a more consistent correlate of self-management behavior than were demographic or health characteristics. Because self-management has been associated with positive patient outcomes, fostering self-management by supporting patient self-efficacy may have long-term benefits.

Health information seeking behavior

Seeking information about one's health is increasingly documented as a key coping strategy in health-promotive activities and psychosocial adjustment to illness. In this article, the authors critically examine the scientific literature from 1982 to 2006 on the concept of health information-seeking behavior (HISB) to determine its level of maturity and clarify the concept's essential characteristics. A principle-based method of concept analysis provides the framework for exploring the nature of HISB. The authors reviewed approximately 100 published articles and five books reporting on HISB. Although HISB is a popular concept used in various contexts, most HISB definitions provide little insight into the concept's specific meanings. The authors describe the concept's characteristics, contributing to a clearer understanding of HISB, and discuss operationalizations, antecedents, and outcomes of HISB. Such an analysis of HISB might guide further theorizing on this highly relevant concept and assist health care providers in designing optimal informational interventions.

Testing Mediation and Suppression Effects of Latent Variables

Because of the importance of mediation studies, researchers have been continuously searching for the best statistical test for mediation effect. The approaches that have been most commonly employed include those that use zero-order and partial correlation, hierarchical regression models, and structural equation modeling (SEM). This study extends MacKinnon and colleagues (MacKinnon, Lockwood, Hoffmann, West, & Sheets, 2002; MacKinnon, Lockwood, & Williams, 2004, MacKinnon, Warsi, & Dwyer, 1995) works by conducting a simulation that examines the distribution of mediation and suppression effects of latent variables with SEM, and the properties of confidence intervals developed from eight different methods. Results show that SEM provides unbiased estimates of mediation and suppression effects, and that the bias-corrected bootstrap confidence intervals perform best in testing for mediation and suppression effects. Steps to implement the recommended procedures with Amos are presented.

Pilot Testing of the Restorative Care Intervention: Impact on Residents

The purpose of this pilot study was to test the feasibility and effectiveness of a two-tiered motivational intervention, the Res-Care Intervention, on nursing home residents. Twenty-one residents consented to participate in the study. The residents were 88.3 (+/- 4.9) years of age, had lived in the facility 1.6 (+/- 3.4) years, were women (93%), White (93%), and unmarried (85%). Although there were some positiv trends, there was not a statistically significant difference in any of the resident outcomes following implementation of the Res-Care Intervention. The findings have been used to revise the Res-Care Intervention to include additional education needs for the nursing assistants, revisions in the motivational intervention for the nursing assistants and nurses, clarification of documentation and motivational techniques to improve documentation, and implementation of a more comprehensive treatment fidelity plan.

Probing three-way interactions in moderated multiple regression: Development and application of a slope difference test

Researchers often use 3-way interactions in moderated multiple regression analysis to test the joint effect of 3 independent variables on a dependent variable. However, further probing of significant interaction terms varies considerably and is sometimes error prone. The authors developed a significance test for slope differences in 3-way interactions and illustrate its importance for testing psychological hypotheses. Monte Carlo simulations revealed that sample size, magnitude of the slope difference, and data reliability affected test power. Application of the test to published data yielded detection of some slope differences that were undetected by alternative probing techniques and led to changes of results and conclusions. The authors conclude by discussing the test's applicability for psychological research.