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Objective metrics of technical performance (e.g., dexterity, time, and path length) are insufficient to fully characterize operator skill level, which may be encoded deep within neural function. Unlike reports that capture plasticity across days or weeks, this articles studies long-term plasticity in functional connectivity that occurs over years of professional task practice. Optical neuroimaging data are acquired from professional surgeons of varying experience on a complex bimanual coordination task with the aim of investigating learning-related disparity in frontal lobe functional connectivity that arises as a consequence of motor skill level. The results suggest that prefrontal and premotor seed connectivity is more critical during naïve versus expert performance. Given learning-related differences in connectivity, a least-squares support vector machine with a radial basis function kernel is employed to evaluate skill level using connectivity data. The results demonstrate discrimination of operator skill level with accuracy ≥0.82 and Multiclass Matthew's Correlation Coefficient ≥0.70. Furthermore, these indices are improved when local (i.e., within-region) rather than inter-regional (i.e., between-region) frontal connectivity is considered (p = 0.002). The results suggest that it is possible to classify operator skill level with good accuracy from functional connectivity data, upon which objective assessment and neurofeedback may be used to improve operator performance during technical skill training.

Portfolio assessment (PA) as an assessment for learning (AfL) alternative has been under-represented in second/foreign language acquisition (SLA) research literature. This study examined the potential impacts of electronic PA (e-PA) on English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) learners’ engagement modes in descriptive and narrative genres of writing on Moodle™. To do so, 56 university students were non-randomly selected and assigned into two intermediate-level EFL cohorts. In a pretest-mediation-posttest study, descriptive and narrative writing tasks completed by two groups were subjected to teacher feedback, student reflection logs, and subsequent revision every week. Results of repeated measures ANOVA indicated significant progress in lower-level skills (sentence structure, word choice/grammar, mechanics), and moderate progress in higher-level skills (organization, development) in both groups’ genre-based writing. Results of one-way ANCOVA reported the notable pretest-to-posttest achievement by both groups with no intergroup statistical differences. The content of students’ reflection logs was inductively analyzed for their behavioral, emotional, and cognitive modes of engagement in e-PA. Qualitative data analysis indicated similar writing time intervals and recurrence of revisions as the behavioral mode of both groups. Participants also expressed novelty, low anxiety, and enjoyment as their emotional experiences. In terms of their cognitive experience, the majority agreed upon the applicability of teacher feedback and positive perception of writing improvement in e-PA. Yet, they were critical to regular mismatches between the scopes of teacher assessment and self-assessment, as well as teacher linguistic bias towards certain writing features. Several pedagogical implications of the study promote the facilitating role of e-PA in genre-based academic writing and e-learning contexts.

Diagnostic assessment (DIA) is under-researched in second/foreign language education despite its common practice across a wide range of professions such as medicine, mechanics, and information technology. This study aimed at exploring the impact of computer-assisted DIA on the sustainable improvement of English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) learners’ collaborative writing and engagement modes. To do so, 36 selected EFL university students were paired to collaborate on writing data commentary tasks whose performances were subjected to the teacher’s regular DIA in Google Meet and task-wise student reflective logs over ten weeks. Repeated-measures ANOVA indicated dyads’ significant progress in lower-level writing skills (sentence structure, word choice & grammar, mechanics), but no considerable progress in higher-level writing skills (organization and development). The results of one-way ANOVA showed the DIA impact on individuals’ sustainable writing improvement from the pretest to the immediate and delayed posttests. Students’ reflective logs were analyzed to explore their behavioral, emotional, and cognitive modes of engagement in computer-assisted DIA. Theme frequency analysis indicated the participants’ active behavioral engagement in terms of their notable amount of time per task. They conveyed their emotional engagement in the user-friendliness of Google Meet, real-time social presence, and low anxiety experienced with DIA. Their cognitive engagement was depicted by their major approval of DIA and positive self-assessment of writing improvement. Yet, some participants were critical to the prioritization of language form(s) over the content in teacher DIA practice. This study yielded pedagogical implications for the L2 teachers to blend DIA, task-based academic writing, and student collaboration in e-learning contexts.

The strategic adoption of digital technologies has increasingly been recognized as a crucial driver of cost reduction and operational efficiency in enterprises. It optimizes production processes and promotes sustainable growth. In this context, understanding the specific impact of digital transformation on enterprises’ environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance holds significant practical value for promoting sustainable development in China’s economy and society. This study focused on Chinese A-share listed enterprises from 2010 to 2022, specifically exploring the role of digital transformation in enhancing ESG performance from the perspective of human capital. Our findings reveal that digital transformation significantly augments their ESG performance. Notably, the improvements are more pronounced in non-state-owned enterprises compared to state-owned ones. Specifically, digital transformation initiatives contribute to ESG performance enhancement by increasing the extent of high-quality labor and elevating the skill levels of the existing workforce. Furthermore, environmental regulation moderates the positive impact of corporate digital transformation on the quantity and skill level of labor, thus influencing firm-level ESG performance. The study sheds light on the transformative role of digital transformation and its implications for ESG performance improvement by elucidating the mechanisms through which digital transformation affects human capital and interacts with regulatory environments.

PurposeThis paper analyses the relation between occupational characteristics and the probability that a worker in the Netherlands has a false self-employed arrangement instead of an employee arrangement. These are arrangements in which self-employed workers perform tasks in the hierarchy of the firm as if they were employees.Design/methodology/approachData from the Dutch Labour Force Survey is used to analyse the relationship between occupational skill, routine and wage level and the probability to be a false self-employed or a standard or non-standard employee.FindingsThe results show that the probability to be false self-employed decreases slightly with the skill level of the occupation, but there is no evidence that false self-employment is more likely in low paid, routine occupations. Workers in the lowest paid occupations are more likely to have a non-standard contract as an employee. False self-employment arrangements are more likely in the (lower) middle paid occupations. Finally, the results show that working in the highest paid occupations increases the probability of being in a false self-employed arrangement, but only in arrangements that are characterised by economic and organizational dependency. These are arrangements with financial dependency on one client for income combined with dependency on this client on when and where to work.Originality/valueThis study makes an important contribution to the literature on identifying vulnerable self-employed workers as well as to the literature on mechanisms behind the growth of solo self-employment.

Background Flipped Classroom Model (FCM) is a proposed method which is a novel and student-centered teaching strategy for encouraging nursing students to engage in the learning process. This study was aimed to evaluate the impact of the FCM on nursing students’ knowledge, skill levels and persistence of learning. Design This controlled quasi-experimental study was carried out with 71 first-year nursing students (35 experimental / 36 control). Methods The data were collected between February and April 2018 and the study was completed in January 2021. The data were collected using student information form, and knowledge test which was applied as pre-test, post-test and persistence test, as well as skill evaluation checklists including blood pressure measurement (BPM), drug preparation (DP), nasogastric tube insertion (NTI) and blood glucose measurement (BGM) with a glucometer. The students in the experimental group took the Nursing Fundamentals (NF) lesson with the FCM and the students in the control group with traditional teaching methods. Results The students in the experimental group had higher scores from the post and persistence tests of the knowledge test compared to the control group addition, the skill scores of the experimental group for all of the skill applications in the first follow-up and persistence follow-up were higher than the control group. Conclusion FCM has a positive effect on the knowledge and skill levels of nursing students and provides persistence in acquired knowledge and skills. Clinical trial number Not applicable.

In sports training, personalized skill assessment and feedback are crucial for athletes to master complex movements and improve performance. However, existing research on skill transfer predominantly focuses on skill evaluation through video analysis, addressing only a single facet of the multifaceted process required for skill acquisition. Furthermore, in the limited studies that generate expert comments, the learner’s skill level is predetermined, and the spatial-temporal information of human movement is often overlooked. To address this issue, we propose a novel approach to generate skill-level-aware expert comments by leveraging a Large Multimodal Model (LMM) and spatial-temporal motion features. Our method employs a Spatial-Temporal Attention Graph Convolutional Network (STA-GCN) to extract motion features that encapsulate the spatial-temporal dynamics of human movement. The STA-GCN classifies skill levels based on these motion features. The classified skill levels, along with the extracted motion features (intermediate features from the STA-GCN) and the original sports video, are then fed into the LMM. This integration enables the generation of detailed, context-specific expert comments that offer actionable insights for performance improvement. Our contributions are twofold: (1) We incorporate skill level classification results as inputs to the LMM, ensuring that feedback is appropriately tailored to the learner’s skill level; and (2) We integrate motion features that capture spatial-temporal information into the LMM, enhancing its ability to generate feedback based on the learner’s specific actions. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method effectively generates expert comments, overcoming the limitations of existing methods and offering valuable guidance for athletes across various skill levels.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to test the direct effect of B2B sellers' skills on relative and absolute sales performance.Design/methodology/approachBased on a questionnaire survey and deductive approach. A total of 236 useable questionnaires out of 315 are returned, generating a response rate of 74.9%.FindingsOnly one out of twelve hypothesized relationships in the research model of the direct effect of B2B sellers' skills on relative and absolute sales performance turned out to be significant.Research limitations/implicationsIndicate that the researchers’ current understanding of the effect of sales performance indicators on sales performance, based on B2B sellers' skills, is narrow and simplistic.Practical implicationsResults indicate that there are skills other than the tested ones (i.e. interpersonal, adaptiveness and selling-related knowledge), that can have direct effects on B2B sellers' relative and absolute sales performance.Originality/valueSheds light on the ambiguous direct effect of B2B sellers' skills on sales performance and the almost non-existent direct effect on B2B sellers' relative and absolute sales performance.

An important application for training instructions is found in directing one's attentional focus. This direction can occur in different internal, external, or holistic forms. However, comparison between these three forms of instructions is a relatively recent development rarely reported at different skill levels or various sports including karate. Therefore, the present study attempts to investigate the effects of three forms of instructions on standing long jump performance in skilled and novice karatekas. The participants were 60 skilled and novice karatekas (all females; mean age: 21.32 ± 1.65) who completed 12 standing long jump trials under different focus conditions (3 trials for each condition: internal, external, holistic and control condition) in a counterbalanced order. Our findings suggested significant main effects, indicating that skilled karatekas outperformed the novices. The findings also showed that regardless of skill levels, the participants exhibited similar performance under external and holistic focus conditions while performance in both of these conditions was superior compared to performance under internal focus and control conditions. No difference was observed between the control and internal focus conditions. It seems that skilled and novice karatekas may benefit from holistic and external focus of attention instructions which enhance their motor performance. Thus, it is recommended that coaches should incorporate these two types of attentional focus instructions into their training sessions. Highlights Both external as well as holistic focus of attention are similar and improve standing long jump performance. Both skilled and novice karatekas benefit from external as well as holistic focus of attention. Performance under an Internal focus of attention is similar to control conditions and does not benefit standing long jump performance.

Immigrants tend to be more negatively affected by economic crisis than natives, particularly when governments apply strict immigration controls. With the onset of the financial crisis in the latter half of 2008, there were widespread concerns: would migrants return to sending countries and communities in large numbers, adding further economic woes to countries already facing difficulties? Would remittance flows slow and potentially cease? The literature offers little guidance on these questions. It is always a challenge to collect data, analyze, interpret, and make recommendations as the phenomenon under study is still unfolding to reveal new turns and twists. The most recent financial crisis and its repercussions are yet to be completed, and scholars have only begun processing the event. This volume is an effort to bring together in one place fresh thinking and evidence from around the world on the outcomes of mobility in the context of global financial crisis. This book is perhaps the first comprehensive study of remittances during the financial crisis and is a timely addition to the literature. It comes at a time when countries are grappling with the global financial crisis and it's after effects. The resilience of remittances is good news for developing countries, but leveraging remittances for socioeconomic development remains a key challenge. The studies in this book identify and discuss key patterns observed in remittance practices across the world and possibilities for the future.