Journal on Efficiency and Responsibility in Education and Science

56-66

Authors: Bimbo Onaolapo Adejare; Gbemi Oladipo Olaore, Ekpenyong Ekpenyong Udofia, Temitayo Bosede Emola

Inefficiency has been a major issue battling the service delivery of non-academic staff in most public universities in Nigeria and this has greatly affected the academic and research outlook of Nigerian universities. Interest in the study was to determine the extent to which induction, demonstration, on-the-job and formal training which are all elements of employee training and development enhance managerial efficiency by looking at employee productivity and quality of service delivery. The study adopts a convenience and stratified sampling technique to select 293 non-academic staffs in selected public universities in Nigeria and the analysis was carried out using the structural equation model (SEM). The results revealed that on-the-job training has a significant negative relationship with the quality of service delivery in Nigerian universities (t=-4.454), (p<0.05) and β=-0.20) which could be because most Nigerian universities do not deliberately place new employees to learn directly from a current employee in order to improve their performance. Hence, the study demonstrates that the only way to resolve inefficiency among non-academic (administrative) staff in public tertiary institutions is to integrate effective training into employee career management and adopt employee performance evaluation process as contained in the private organizations.

79-89

Authors: Lucie Vnoučková, Zdeněk Linhart

Each new generation brings a challenge to employers, university management and teachers with new attitudes affecting their continuous matriculation and degree completion. This article discusses how to retain both business and institutional career-oriented students using real-time communication based on their attitudes, emotions resulting from logically generated synonyms by automatic data evaluation by the information system. The objective of this article is to identify these students early in their academic studies and to assess their likelihood for continuous matriculation and ultimately increase retention rates. Using data from entry questionnaire during application at university, based on their attitudinal expectation, students were categorised into groups that affected their continuous matriculation. Data used in this study were gathered by compulsory entry questionnaire of 535 students in the academic year 2017-2018. Using statistical and dimensional analysis, four groups were identified among university applicants: Proactive, Reactive, Lazy and Institutional. Responses were tested according to Complementary Distribution Function (CDF) and normal distribution as Probabilistic Distribution Function (PDF). Antagonist attitudes were found for answers corresponding to PDF and CDF. Results indicate that business and institutionally oriented students should be separated and treated individually to increase retention.

01-09

Authors: Kateřina Berková, Dagmar Frendlovská, Jan Pospíšil Závodný, Hana Vojáčková, Dana Kolářová

The article presents the results of research into entrepreneurship education in economic and non-economic study programmes of the College of Polytechnics Jihlava (n = 104). The College represents a regional public college of professional orientation in the Vysočina Region, where the business potential is relatively high. Significant differences in attitudes concerning entrepreneurship among students of economic and non-economic programmes have not been proven. As well the correlation between attitudes (interest in conducting business, having preconceptions to start a business and subjective evaluation of one's own ideas) and the students' knowledge of entrepreneurship was not significantly demonstrated. Despite these insignificant differences, there have been links in students’ attitudes. Students of both programmes have a great interest in doing business even at the cost of having preconception to start a business. Above all, the high risk and uncertainty of business earnings are perceived very negatively. They also admit that they do not have enough knowledge and are thus afraid of starting a business, even though they have their own business ideas. Therefore, it is desirable to focus on new platforms for the development of entrepreneurship education and thus support the potential of students.

27-40

Authors: Ibrahim Safari, Mehran Davaribina, Iraj Khoshnevis

This research intended to examine the influence of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ self-efficacy, job satisfaction, and reflective thinking on their professional development. Two-hundred and twelve Iranian EFL teachers from different universities, language institutes, and schools participated in the research. They were requested to answer Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale, The Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, Reflective Thinking Scale, and Professional Development Questionnaire as the main data collection instruments. The questionnaires were submitted in three different ways: email, social networks and in person. Structural Equation Modeling on SPSS AMOS version 24 was employed to examine the hypothesized model of relationships. This model was confirmed following the application of the modification indices suggested by the software (Normal chi-square=3.6; RMSEA=.03; RMR=.02; GFI =.93; AGFI=.90; NFI=.92; CFI=.93; IFI=.93). The findings showed significant internal correlations between all the latent variables along with their sub-scales. Furthermore, multiple regression analysis showed that self-efficacy and job satisfaction positively predicted professional development, with self-efficacy exerting more predictive power compared to job satisfaction. It was further found that not only did reflective thinking not predict professional development, but, conversely, it was partly predicted by professional development. Pedagogical implications of the study have been discussed.

103-110

Authors: Leonnard

We examine the effect of e-service quality through E-S-QUAL dimensions of efficiency, fulfilment, system availability, and privacy on e-trust, e-satisfaction and loyalty of students from public and private universities in Jakarta, Indonesia. A total of 304 undergraduates was employed as respondents, and the hypotheses were tested using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The findings revealed that efficiency and fulfilment significantly affect e-satisfaction, while fulfilment and privacy significantly affect e-trust. Fulfilment has the most substantial effect on e-satisfaction and e-trust that supports prior studies. Moreover, the relationships between e-trust, e-satisfaction, and loyalty are confirmed. Theoretical and managerial implications are presented.

126-134

Authors: Kristýna Krejčová, Hana Chýlová, Pavel Michálek

An educational efficiency of an individual is strongly and bidirectionally connected with his/her self-perception determined by the unique family system and overall sense of social well-being. The role of parents is obvious and both theoretically and empirically well-researched. Nevertheless, academic self-efficacy may be significantly affected also by siblings, whose role is neglected by theory and research. Our research deals with various specifics of siblings’ constellations and their impact on selected dimensions of academic self-efficacy (perception of school success, efficiency, educational dispositions, and ambitions). Our findings proved differences in all observed categories (gender, family order, age-distance) and indicate relative better academic self-efficacy (compared with a sibling) by females and respondents with a brother. Similarly, higher level of academic self-efficacy was detected by older siblings and respondents with a longer age-distance between them and their siblings. Moreover, the research points out the siblings-related specifics of social support perceived from a family. Conclusions are applicable in educational theory as well as in praxis of educational counselling with an intention to support equal opportunities in education and professional development.

66-74

Authors: Václav Švec, Richard Selby

At the Faculty of Economics and Management at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CULS Prague) a wide range of marketing courses are taught, covering many aspects of marketing theory. The curriculum of the majority of marketing courses consists of case studies and project work in teams. The students in their MSc. studies have five marketing subjects in total, and work with different teachers, though the same teaching approach and design (project teaching) is used. In this article, we present the results of a new design for the Marketing Communications course. In this case, students are engaged in designing a real package for a fictitious product, and to enter a virtual market using a wide range of promotional tools. The students then debrief the entire experience as consumers in that virtual market. The course uses a mix of traditional and contemporary teaching techniques in the field of marketing communications. It can be used in traditional or blended learning or adapted for online courses. The innovative course design has been shown to be a key factor to stimulate the students to learn, rather than simply study and repeat their lectures. The learning efficiency compares favourably with the original course design.

84-102

Authors: Olamilekan Gbenga Oyenuga, Sulaimon Olanrewaju Adebiyi, Damilola Omolade Mustapha, Bukola Oluwadamilola Abimbola

As a core process to knowledge management that aids innovation and regeneration of knowledge, knowledge sharing cannot be overemphasized owing to its importance in gaining competitive edge and sustaining competitive advantage. Therefore, this study examines factors influencing knowledge sharing using multi-criteria model. The research design is quantitative and analytical in nature through a survey of experts (Lecturers) with the usage of pairwise comparison questionnaire. Sample was drawn through multi-stage sampling procedure and 102 copies of questionnaires were retrieved and found fit for analysis. Data collected were modelled into clusters in line with ANP technique. The results show that institutional norms were better group of motivator for knowledge sharing while; individual barriers are more disastrous to knowledge sharing. Moreover, reflections of university mission, academic-industrial research and development excellence and quality teaching service delivery are both equally and moderately influenced by determinants of knowledge sharing. Therefore, based on the findings, academic staff are advised to be unbiased to knowledge sharing acts, while, policymakers are encouraged to demand the need for academic staff progress in career, intellectual benefits and financial rewards, and campaign against cultural differences and high job politics, in order to improve the flow of knowledge among academics for global competitiveness.

34-40

Authors: Fejfarová, M. and Fajčíková, A.

The concept of quality in tertiary education is important not only for education providers but also for society as a whole which expects the education to have a high level of quality and wants to maintain its trust in the education system on the national and international level. The objective of this paper is therefore to identify variables that, from the perspective of university students, affect the quality of taught courses, and use the results to formulate recommendations that would improve the quality of teaching at universities. Primary data was obtained through a quantitative survey among students in the Master’s programme at a selected public university involving 450 respondents. The results showed that the overall rating of a course is more strongly influenced by variables related to the course’s outcome, content and concept than the rating of the teacher. The main value lies in the general overview of the variables influencing the perception of the quality of taught courses by students that is beneficial for teachers who are preparing a course and also for higher education institutions developing a methodology for evaluating the quality of teaching and teachers.

51-65

Authors: Petr Eisenmann, Jiří Přibyl, Jarmila Novotná

The paper describes one problem solving strategy – the Use of false assumption. The objective of the paper is to show, in accordance with Phylogenesis and Ontogenesis Theory, that it is worthwhile to reiterate the process of development of the concept of a variable and thus provide to pupils one of the ways helping them to eliminate usual difficulties when solving word problems using linear equations, namely construction of the equations. The paper presents the outcomes of a study conducted on three lower secondary schools in the Czech Republic with 147 14–15-year-old pupils. Pupils from the experimental group were, unlike pupils from the control group, taught the strategy the Use of false assumption before being taught the topic Solving word problems. The tool for the study was a test of four problems that was sat by all the involved pupils three weeks after finishing the topic “Solving word problems” and whose results were evaluated statistically. The experiment confirmed the research hypothesis that the introduction of the strategy the Use of false assumption into 8th grade mathematics lessons (14–15-year-old pupils) helps pupils construct equations more successfully when solving word problems.