Researchers working in educational settings are increasingly paying attention to the role students' thoughts and beliefs play in the learning process. Self-efficacy, a key element of social cognitive theory, appears to be an important variable because it affects students' motivation and learning. This article investigates empirical literature about the role of students' self-efficacy in education by focusing on the following research question: which are the factors shown to affect the self-efficacy of students within higher educational settings? The results of a review reveal that educational programmes have the possibility to enhance students' self-efficacy, and that educational programmes based on social cognitive theory proved to be particularly succesful on this score. Several factors appeared to influence students' self-efficacy and provided evidence for the potency of the main sources of self-efficacy. Directions for future research are indicated.
Self-efficacy is een belangrijk begrip uit de sociaal cognitieve theory van Bandura (1997) en duidt op het geloof dat mensen hebben in hun kunnen om een bepaalde taak in een toekomstige situatie succesvol uit te voeren. Self-efficacy van leraren duidt op het geloof van leraren in hun kunnen om het leren van studenten positief te beïnvloeden. Leraren met een hoge mate van self-efficacy hebben een sterkere positieve invloed op de prestaties, de motivatie en schoolattitude van leerlingen, dan leraren met een lage mate van self-efficacy. Daarom is het van belang dat lerarenopleidingen aandacht besteden aan het ontwikkelen van self-efficacy bij hun studenten. Omdat binnen het competentiegerichte opleiden van leraren assessments een belangrijke plaats innemen, wordt in deze dissertatie onderzocht hoe assessment de self-efficacy van studenten beïnvloedt en hoe vervolgens de lerarencompetenties worden beïnvloed. Allereerst is onderzocht van welke factoren binnen het hoger onderwijs is gebleken dat deze de self-efficacy van studenten positief beïnvloeden. Hieruit bleek dat de self-efficacy van studenten wordt verhoogd als zij succeservaringen opdoen en als zij verbaal worden ondersteund door hun omgeving. Van deze bevindingen zijn 2 factoren afgeleid die van kenmerkend zijn voor een competentie assessment en die in deze dissertatie nader worden onderzocht. De eerste factor is de authenticiteit van een assessment, dit duidt op de mate waarin tijdens een assessment zaken worden getoetst die belang zijn voor het beroep van leraar. De tweede factor is de feedback die aan studenten wordt verstrekt tijdens het assessment. Om de invloed van deze factoren op de self-efficacy van studenten te kunnen meten, is er een self-efficacy vragenlijst ontwikkeld, specifiek gericht op 1e jaarstudenten van een lerarenopleiding. Omdat studenten in het 1e jaar werken aan de ontwikkeling van 6 competenties, is het instrument bedoeld om de self-efficacy van studenten met betrekking tot de zes lerarencompetenties (interpersoonlijk, pedagogisch, vakinhoudelijk en didactisch, organisatorisch, samenwerking met collega’s en reflectie en ontwikkeling) te diagnosticeren. Uit studie twee bleek dat de vragenlijst voldoende betrouwbaar en valide is om het diagnostisch instrument te gebruiken tijdens de begeleiding van studenten. Tevens kwam uit deze studie enig bewijs voor de stelling dat studenten aan een lerarenopleiding beginnen met een globale ongedifferentieerde self-efficacy, en dat als zij ervaringen opdoen met lesgeven er een verdere differentiatie van hun self-efficacy plaatsvindt. In de derde studie werd de kernvraag van deze dissertatie onderzocht. Hieruit bleek dat naarmate de studenten, de prestatie die zij bij het assessment moeten leveren als authentieker ervaren, des te sterker dit hun self-efficacy van de 6 competenties beïnvloedt. Verder bleek dat naarmate studenten de kwaliteit van de verstrekte feedback als hoger ervaren, des te sterker dit hun self-efficacy op 4 van deze 6 competenties beïnvloedt. Tenslotte bleek uit deze studie dat de genoemde assessment-factoren de leerresultaten van studenten op de lerarencompetenties indirect beïnvloeden, dit houdt in dat de assessmentfactoren de self-efficacy van studenten beïnvloeden en dat de self-efficacy van studenten vervolgens van invloed is op leerresultaten van studenten op de lerarencompetenties. In de vierde studie zijn enkele resultaten uit de derde studie diepgaand onder de loep genomen. Door een aantal studenten te interviewen is onderzocht hoe de ervaringen die studenten opdoen tijdens een assessment bijdragen aan hun self-efficacy. Hieruit bleek dat de genoemde assessmentfactoren tijdens zowel de voorbereidingsfase, de interviewfase als de feedbackfase van het portfolio competentie assessment, de self-efficacy van studenten positief beïnvloeden. Voortkomend uit de onderzoeksresultaten, worden op het einde van de dissertatie enkele adviezen voor lerarenopleidingen beschreven.
Expectations are high for digital technologies to address sustainability related challenges. While research into such applications and the twin transformation is growing rapidly, insights in the actual daily practices of digital sustainability within organizations is lacking. This is problematic as the contributions of digital tools to sustainability goals gain shape in organizational practices. To bridge this gap, we develop a theoretical perspective on digital sustainability practices based on practice theory, with an emphasis on the concept of sociomateriality. We argue that connecting meanings related to sustainability with digital technologies is essential to establish beneficial practices. Next, we contend that the meaning of sustainability is contextspecific, which calls for a local meaning making process. Based on our theoretical exploration we develop an empirical research agenda.
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Chemical preservation is an important process that prevents foods, personal care products, woods and household products, such as paints and coatings, from undesirable change or decomposition by microbial growth. To date, many different chemical preservatives are commercially available, but they are also associated with health threats and severe negative environmental impact. The demand for novel, safe, and green chemical preservatives is growing, and this process is further accelerated by the European Green Deal. It is expected that by the year of 2050 (or even as soon as 2035), all preservatives that do not meet the ‘safe-by-design’ and ‘biodegradability’ criteria are banned from production and use. To meet these European goals, there is a large need for the development of green, circular, and bio-degradable antimicrobial compounds that can serve as alternatives for the currently available biocidals/ preservatives. Anthocyanins, derived from fruits and flowers, meet these sustainability goals. Furthermore, preliminary research at the Hanze University of Applied Science has confirmed the antimicrobial efficacy of rose and tulip anthocyanin extracts against an array of microbial species. Therefore, these molecules have the potential to serve as novel, sustainable chemical preservatives. In the current project we develop a strategy consisting of fractionation and state-of-the-art characterization methods of individual anthocyanins and subsequent in vitro screening to identify anthocyanin-molecules with potent antimicrobial efficacy for application in paints, coatings and other products. To our knowledge this is the first attempt that combines in-depth chemical characterization of individual anthocyanins in relation to their antimicrobial efficacy. Once developed, this strategy will allow us to single out anthocyanin molecules with antimicrobial properties and give us insight in structure-activity relations of individual anthocyanins. Our approach is the first step towards the development of anthocyanin molecules as novel, circular and biodegradable non-toxic plant-based preservatives.
In the last decade, the automotive industry has seen significant advancements in technology (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles) that presents the opportunity to improve traffic safety, efficiency, and comfort. However, the lack of drivers’ knowledge (such as risks, benefits, capabilities, limitations, and components) and confusion (i.e., multiple systems that have similar but not identical functions with different names) concerning the vehicle technology still prevails and thus, limiting the safety potential. The usual sources (such as the owner’s manual, instructions from a sales representative, online forums, and post-purchase training) do not provide adequate and sustainable knowledge to drivers concerning ADAS. Additionally, existing driving training and examinations focus mainly on unassisted driving and are practically unchanged for 30 years. Therefore, where and how drivers should obtain the necessary skills and knowledge for safely and effectively using ADAS? The proposed KIEM project AMIGO aims to create a training framework for learner drivers by combining classroom, online/virtual, and on-the-road training modules for imparting adequate knowledge and skills (such as risk assessment, handling in safety-critical and take-over transitions, and self-evaluation). AMIGO will also develop an assessment procedure to evaluate the impact of ADAS training on drivers’ skills and knowledge by defining key performance indicators (KPIs) using in-vehicle data, eye-tracking data, and subjective measures. For practical reasons, AMIGO will focus on either lane-keeping assistance (LKA) or adaptive cruise control (ACC) for framework development and testing, depending on the system availability. The insights obtained from this project will serve as a foundation for a subsequent research project, which will expand the AMIGO framework to other ADAS systems (e.g., mandatory ADAS systems in new cars from 2020 onwards) and specific driver target groups, such as the elderly and novice.
Mycelium biocomposites (MBCs) are a fairly new group of materials. MBCs are non-toxic and carbon-neutral cutting-edge circular materials obtained from agricultural residues and fungal mycelium, the vegetative part of fungi. Growing within days without complex processes, they offer versatile and effective solutions for diverse applications thanks to their customizable textures and characteristics achieved through controlled environmental conditions. This project involves a collaboration between MNEXT and First Circular Insulation (FC-I) to tackle challenges in MBC manufacturing, particularly the extended time and energy-intensive nature of the fungal incubation and drying phases. FC-I proposes an innovative deactivation method involving electrical discharges to expedite these processes, currently awaiting patent approval. However, a critical gap in scientific validation prompts the partnership with MNEXT, leveraging their expertise in mycelium research and MBCs. The research project centers on evaluating the efficacy of the innovative mycelium growth deactivation strategy proposed by FC-I. This one-year endeavor permits a thorough investigation, implementation, and validation of potential solutions, specifically targeting issues related to fungal regrowth and the preservation of sustained material properties. The collaboration synergizes academic and industrial expertise, with the dual purpose of achieving immediate project objectives and establishing a foundation for future advancements in mycelium materials.
