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Background: Higher vocational education is an essential part of the higher education system that complements conventional education. In the context of information and communication technology (ICT) development and academic competition, more and more literature has proved the importance of ICT use in educational development (academic achievement and mental health) and the relationship between information literacy and the educational development of higher vocational students. Objectives: Based on one of the most extensive surveys of higher vocational students, the study combined the Opportunity‐Propensity (O‐P) framework and ecological model to explore the direct effects of different types of ICT use on educational development and the indirect effects from psychological and social factors. Methods: The data involved 28,956 students from seven higher vocational colleges. The class fixed effect and causal mediation analysis models verified the results. Results and Conclusion: The results found differential effects of different types of ICT use on academic achievement and mental health. Information literacy ability can improve the academic achievement of higher vocational students, but at the cost of mental health. ICT use not only directly impacts the academic achievement and mental health, but also has an indirect impact through psychological factors represented by self‐efficacy and technostress and social factors represented by social support. Implications: This study promotes integrating and expanding the O‐P framework and ecological model, enriching the relevant research in ICT use and educational development. Meanwhile, it also provides practical suggestions for realizing rational interventions in ICT use and improving the educational development level of higher vocational students. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Information and communication technology (ICT) use is closely related to the educational development of higher vocational students.The trend of ICT use in higher vocational education has become increasingly apparent.The effects of ICT use are heterogeneous among groups with different information literacy. What this paper adds: O‐P framework and ecological model provide the perspective of theoretical integration.The impact of different types of ICT use on educational development varies.Information literacy can improve academic achievement at the cost of mental health.Psychological and social factors play a mediating role in educational development. Implications for practice and/or policy: The research is helpful to guide students to allocate their time reasonably for different ICT uses.Mental health counselling should be strengthened while cultivating information literacy ability.Develop appropriate ICT usage strategies for students with different information literacy.It is helpful to develop appropriate interventions from a psychological and social perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the proven effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in preventing severe illness, many individuals, including older adults who are most susceptible to the virus, have opted against vaccination. Various factors could shape vaccination decisions, including seeking health information (HI). The internet is the primary source of HI today; however, older adults are often referred to as those missing out on digital benefits. The study explores the correlations between information and communication technology (ICT) use, online HI seeking, socioeconomic factors, and COVID-19 vaccination readiness among individuals aged 50 and above in Estonia. The survey data were gathered from 501 people aged 50 and older after the first lockdown in 2020. The outcomes revealed that vaccination readiness positively correlated with factors such as higher educational attainment, greater income, male gender, access to ICT, a readiness to employ digital technologies for health-related purposes, a greater demand for HI, and a higher frequency of seeking it online. There was some discrepancy in the preference of HI sources; for example, vaccination consenters preferred online versions of professional press publications and specific health portals. Based on the findings, it is advisable to encourage older adults to utilize the internet and new technology for health-related purposes. This practice expands the range of information sources available to them, ultimately enabling better decision-making regarding their health behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives The number of older adults diagnosed with dementia is expected to more than double by mid-century. Monitoring older adults' cognitive functioning is essential for the early detection of dementia, which can increase treatment efficacy and slow the disease progression. Current approaches to detect preclinical dementia are expensive, invasive, and are not accessible to everyone. This study aimed to determine whether technology use patterns could be used as an indicator of cognitive change. Research Design and Methods Using 6 waves (2015–2020) from the National Health and Aging Trends Study, we examined within-person and between-person effects of stopping 4 types of technology use on 4 cognitive outcomes. Results Our analyses showed that stopping the use of the Internet, computers, and tablets, and sending texts and e-mails were related to cognitive decline. Discussion and Implications These results suggest that monitoring technology use patterns may be an innovative approach that is economical and efficient to identify individuals at risk of cognitive decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous literature highlights the potential of ICT use to enhance mathematical learning. There are also several theoretical arguments supporting that gifted education benefits from ICT use. However, empirical studies have paid little attention to the relationship between ICT use and gifted students' mathematics performance. It is also unclear whether and why this relationship differs between gifted students and their peers. For the first time, we tested this relationship by using a large-scale multinational sample of 236,938 adolescents attending 10,213 schools in 44 countries in several contexts from the Programme for International Student Assessment Questionnaire (PISA) 2018. We estimated a hierarchical linear model (HLM) and found that only gifted students benefit from ICT use in mathematics learning. The higher their level of performance, the more beneficial ICT use is for gifted students. This relation is negative in the case of the rest of the students. Based on theoretical arguments, we also explain the likely reasons that lay behind this different relationship between gifted students and their peers. The findings illustrate that policymakers should consider a differentiated approach to ICT use at school depending on the students' level of performance. Gifted students could benefit more from ICT use in learning and the rest of the students from teaching with more human interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the effect of Information Communication Technology (ICT) development on corruption in emerging market economies (EMEs). By employing a system generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator in a dynamic panel data model, we find that ICT development reduces corruption. We have further disaggregated ICT Development into ICT Access and ICT Use. The findings show that ICT access is more effective in reducing the level of corruption as compared to ICT use. From a policy perspective, it is important for emerging countries to practice ICT as one of the tools for controlling corruption in the modern digital era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In the context of the increased use of digital technologies at work and the various reported positive and negative outcomes for workers, this paper deals with the effects of internal corporate social responsibility (ICSR) and the digitalisation of work. The findings are based on a structured literature review identifying and synthesizing extant knowledge. A total of 57 papers are analysed regarding their contributions to the literature on digital transformation and ICSR. The results indicate that ICSR is partly implemented in a reactive way to mitigate negative effects of digitalisation at work, and partly in a proactive way to prevent them. The contributions relate (a) to the conceptualisation of digital work and its effects related to ICSR; (b) to the development of the concept of ICSR with a specific focus on digitalisation; and (c) to the derivation of a future research agenda. Finally, implications for research and practice are discussed to investigate further ICSR’s essential role in the interrelation between digitalisation and sustainability at work.

Abstract Faced with international science and technology competition, strengthening information, communication, and technology (ICT) use has become the core goal of science education. Many studies have revealed that teachers’ professional development programs could influence ICT use. However, whether the relationship could be mediated by teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, and instructional practice remains unclear, especially in the context of China. Based on the Sociocultural Model of Embedded Belief Systems, a hypothesized model from teachers’ professional development to ICT use that meditated by science teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, and instructional practices was constructed. With the Structural Equation Model (SEM) method, 131,134 Chinese primary science teachers were surveyed to detect the interrelationships among the factors in the model. The path analysis revealed that: (1) Science teachers’ professional development has not positively influenced ICT use, while science teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, and instructional practices could significantly influence science teachers’ ICT use; (2) Science teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, and instructional practices not only respectively play a mediating role but also play a chain mediating role in the process of teachers’ professional development influencing ICT use.

The dataset includes data from 1699 higher education students from two Slovenian universities. Among those participants were also 56 students with special educational needs (SEN). Students were enrolled in all study fields and levels. The study aimed to measure the use of online learning resources (OLRs) among higher education students and identify predictors of OLRs use for students with and without SEN. In the database one can find data from the ‘Online learning resources (OLRs) use scales’, a reliable measure of the students’ OLR use for formal and informal learning. Additionally, the database includes data from 3 other scales: (a) beliefs regarding the use of ICT for learning, (b) self-efficacy about the use of ICT for learning and (c) perceived barriers to the use of ICT for learning. The data was gathered as a part of the PhD study in 2017. Existing data provide an elaborate insight into the perceptions of ICT for learning and actual use of ICT for learning among the student population before COVID-19 and the enhanced integration and accessibility of artificial intelligence (AI).

Based on the balanced panel data of the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) covering the period 2016–2018, this paper investigates the effect of ICT use on job satisfaction of employees. The results show that ICT use improves job satisfaction and has an indirect effect on job satisfaction through income status. Further research shows that ICT use has more significant effect on job satisfaction among male, younger, and unmarried employees; the effect of ICT use on job satisfaction of different skilled employees is in descending order: low-skilled employees, medium-skilled employees, and high-skilled employees. Moreover, there are evidence indicating the presence of a nonlinear relationship between education level and job satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study analyses the hidden relationship between transport and ICT use for an extensive sample of 26,500 EU citizens. To that aim, a fuzzy clustering Eco-extended apostle model is applied to both latent variables: interurban transport trips and ICT use. The interurban long-distance trip (LDT) latent variable is measured by four different indicators (long- and medium-distance trips for work and leisure in the past twelve months), and the ICT use is based on a ten-item scale that provides information on different transport modes. The fuzzy Eco-extended apostle model is compared with the classical apostle model, translating the satisfaction and loyalty dimensions to our case. The fuzzy clustering model shows that most EU citizens are similar to the representative citizen who moved and used ICT at very low rates (56.5 and 50.4 per cent, respectively). The classical apostle model shows that the quadrants low LDT–high ICT and low LDT–low ICT are more represented by 38.5 and 35.2 per cent, respectively. However, the Eco-extended apostle model reinforces the results of the quadrant of low LDT–low ICT (40.22%) but softens those obtained in the quadrant of low LDT–high ICT (21.01%). Interesting insights of the effects of gender, age, education, and employment status are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of the increased use of digital technologies at work and the various reported positive and negative outcomes for workers, this paper deals with the effects of internal corporate social responsibility (ICSR) and the digitalisation of work. The findings are based on a structured literature review identifying and synthesizing extant knowledge. A total of 57 papers are analysed regarding their contributions to the literature on digital transformation and ICSR. The results indicate that ICSR is partly implemented in a reactive way to mitigate negative effects of digitalisation at work, and partly in a proactive way to prevent them. The contributions relate (a) to the conceptualisation of digital work and its effects related to ICSR; (b) to the development of the concept of ICSR with a specific focus on digitalisation; and (c) to the derivation of a future research agenda. Finally, implications for research and practice are discussed to investigate further ICSR's essential role in the interrelation between digitalisation and sustainability at work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faced with international science and technology competition, strengthening information, communication, and technology (ICT) use has become the core goal of science education. Many studies have revealed that teachers' professional development programs could influence ICT use. However, whether the relationship could be mediated by teachers' knowledge, beliefs, and instructional practice remains unclear, especially in the context of China. Based on the Sociocultural Model of Embedded Belief Systems, a hypothesized model from teachers' professional development to ICT use that meditated by science teachers' knowledge, beliefs, and instructional practices was constructed. With the Structural Equation Model (SEM) method, 131,134 Chinese primary science teachers were surveyed to detect the interrelationships among the factors in the model. The path analysis revealed that: (1) Science teachers' professional development has not positively influenced ICT use, while science teachers' knowledge, beliefs, and instructional practices could significantly influence science teachers' ICT use; (2) Science teachers' knowledge, beliefs, and instructional practices not only respectively play a mediating role but also play a chain mediating role in the process of teachers' professional development influencing ICT use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: With the growing dissemination of digital technologies in the workplace, technologies itself and related factors are increasingly discussed as an additional source of work stress, often referred to as technostress. This article explores whether techno-unreliability as a dimension of technostress is associated with burnout. Methods: We perform linear regression analyses based on a large representative sample of German employees collected in 2019. We distinguish between information and communication technology users (n = 4702) and tool users (n = 1953). Interaction models explore whether individual and workplace-related factors might moderate the relationship. Results: The results indicate that Ute more frequently employees experience techno-induced interruptions (as an indicator for techno-unreliability), the stronger their burnout symptoms. Interaction models reveal that social support and job autonomy might buffer this association. Conclusions: Ensuring reliable technology and technical support can reduce employee stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic has been related to technostress in university professors, becoming a problem that significantly affects their health. This study aimed to analyse the relationship between emotional regulation and technostress in higher education professors through a systematic review which was carried out following the Prisma-P criteria. In this way 469 articles were found in the EBSCO, ProQuest, and SCOPUS databases; subsequent to the information screening process, 20 articles were used for the final review. Among the main results, it is evident that efficient emotional regulation is an inhibitor of technostress, as it allows the perception of effectiveness in the use of ICT to be enhanced and it contributes to job satisfaction and the development of empathy. Finally, it is essential that training programmes in the use of ICT not only include technical knowledge and other education topics, but also promote emotional regulation strategies for stress management in teaching work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the paper is to point out the relationship between sociodemographic factors (age, gender) and the ICT use of Slovak teachers at ethnic schools in Hungary. The results of this research dealing with ICT use in relation to gender and age are inconsistent and yield findings with varying results. This paper is based on the data gathered in a survey conducted in 10 Hungarian counties between January and April 2019, using a sample of 139 teachers at ethnic schools (monolingual, bilingual, and schools teaching the ethnic language as a separate subject). We processed the obtained research results using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics methods (Pearson correlation coefficient; Mann-Whitney U test). The analyses showed that the older, 51-68-year-old generation of teachers use all the ICT resources mentioned in the questionnaire the least, compared to the other age categories. No statistically significant differences were found between any of the groups when comparing men and women. The study concludes with the finding of no relationship between educators' ICT usage rate with gender. On the contrary, it can be concluded that in relation to the rate of ICT use with the age of the educator, there are significant differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the predictions of and relationships between background, social status, and the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in cyberbullying among 2430 secondary school students from schools affiliated with Thailand's Office of the Basic Education Commission. The stratified sampling method was used along with the Cyberbullying Questionnaire, Sociometric Status Questionnaire, Perceived Popularity Questionnaire, and ICT Use Questionnaire and data were collected through the CU Smart Sociometry web application and Google Forms. Data analysis was conducted to determine 1) demographic data using descriptive statistics; 2) correlation analysis of students' backgrounds, sociometric status, and ICT use against cyberbullying using the chi-square test; and 3) variables that predict cyberbullying among secondary school students using multinomial logistic regression. Results showed a link between cyberbullying and secondary school students' backgrounds, social status, and ICT use. Students with different backgrounds (sex and academic performance), social statuses (social preference and perceived popularity), and ICT use partook in different cyberbullying roles. Independent variables of sex, academic performance, social preference, perceived popularity, and ICT use all predicted cyberbullying by 33.3 % with statistical significance. Male students were noted to have a higher likelihood of being cyberbullies than female students, whereas female students were more likely to be cybervictims and bystanders. Moreover, students with low academic performance were more likely to be cyberbullies and cybervictims than high-performing students, with rejected students having the highest likelihood of being cyberbullies. Interestingly, the higher a student's popularity, the higher was their likelihood of being cyberbullies. Finally, cyberbullies had the highest average daily internet use, and students who had never had their guardians monitor their internet usage were more likely to be cyberbullies; students with moderate and good social media behavior were mostly bystanders.

This study aimed to determine the relationship between the secondary Mathematics teachers’ level of ICT expertise, level of ICT use and students’ problem-solving skills. It employed two data collection tools: the Mathematics Teachers' Survey Questionnaire (MTSQ) and the Mathematics Assessment on Problem Solving (MAPS). The samples encompassed 40 Grade 7 Mathematics teachers and 2,439 Grade 7 students from three school divisions in Ilocos Norte, Philippines. The results demonstrated that teachers are highly competent in basic ICT skills and applications, and they have positive beliefs about the use of ICT in teaching. However, because preparing ICT-enriched instruction takes more time, they only use ICT in teaching once or twice a week on average. According to the study's findings, teachers who are younger and have attended more ICT-related training are better equipped with ICT skills, use ICT in classroom instruction more frequently, and have a better disposition towards ICT integration in teaching. The study further discovered that when teachers believe they have a high level of ICT expertise, they are more likely to use ICT in their classrooms. Similarly, when teachers are more knowledgeable about using ICT, they are more inclined to support ICT integration in the classroom. Notably, the study reveals that students' problem-solving skills are significantly related to teachers' level of expertise, level of ICT use, and their beliefs about ICT integration.

The relationship between student ICT use and learning outcomes is being debated. Few studies on the topic examined different forms of ICT use and heterogenous relationships with learning outcomes. This study addresses this gap by examining the association between different forms of ICT use and learning outcomes and by exploring variations in associations based on student-perceived ICT competence and across the learning distribution. The Japanese sample of PISA 2018 data was analyzed employing a regression approach accounting for the complexity of the PISA design and unconditional quantile regression. Results suggest that the variables student ICT use outside school for schoolwork activities and at school in general are not statistically related to reading and science achievements, but the former is weakly related to mathematics. The two forms of ICT use improve learning among students with lower ICT competence and also show statistical significance for low- and high-achieving students. Moreover, subject-related uses of ICT during lessons and outside lessons are positively associated with the three measures of learning achievements investigated. The association remains consistent by student ICT competence and across the learning distribution. In contrast, ICT use outside of school for leisure is negatively associated with all three measures of learning achievements. The association remains negative by student ICT competence and across the learning distribution. These findings suggest that education stakeholders promoting student ICT use should be cautious by considering forms of ICT use, student ICT competence, and heterogenous abilities.

The fast expansion of information and communication technology (ICT) use has provided easier access to online health information. However, studies focusing on rural Vietnam, where many health issues exist, are still sparse. This current study aimed to investigate the ICT use among rural Vietnamese and examine factors associated with online health information-seeking behaviors. In this cross-sectional study, 226 Vietnamese aged 25 to 70 were recruited from a rural town in Quang Tri Province in 2017. Predictors were selected based on Andersen's Behavioral Model. Binary logistic regression was conducted to identify factors associated with online health information-seeking behavior. Results showed that less than half of participants used the Internet, had a smartphone, had a computer or tablet, and used mobile apps. Binary logistic regression results showed that females (OR =.22, CI =.05-.97) and being married (OR =.09, CI =.01-.59) were associated with lower likelihoods to seek health information online. People with annual checkups (OR = 2.89, CI = 1.13–7.41) and more ICT use (OR = 2.58, CI = 1.87–3.57) were more likely to seek health information online. These findings suggested that ICT use and annual checkups were the most important factors in predicting online health information-seeking behavior among rural Vietnamese. Future health and government initiatives should focus on advancing access to healthcare and digital applications among this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined the perception and constraints of extension practitioners on utilization of communication technologies in southwestern Nigeria. This was necessitated by the need to ensure a practicable, vibrant, and efficient extension service delivery in the study area. 124 public and 41 non-public extension practitioners were selected through a three staged sampling procedure. Questionnaires were used to elicit vital information on their perceptions on ICT use, constraints faced during ICT use and other components. These were analyzed using descriptive statistics, mean difference, PPMC, and independent sample t -test. The results showed that (61.0%) of respondents from non-public organizations fell within those with favorable perception level. Also, (64.50%) of respondents had high level of constraints to ICT access. Moreover, (58.10%) of respondents from the public organizations' encountered high level of constraint to ICT use. Result showed that respondents from the public extension organizations were more constrained in access to (14.10 ± 3.17) and use of ICT tools (10.84 ± 3.30) and were significant. The study has implications for providing functional ICT tools to the respondents for effective extension delivery. Agricultural extension service organizations should organize more frequent in-house trainings on the benefits of ICT use in relation to their extension work. Plain Language Summary: The study investigated extension practitioners perception and constraints on use of ICT tools in their duties. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative method in the collection of data. The study found out that respondents from non-public organisations had better disposition to using ICT tools while those from non-public organisations encountered a higher level of constraints in access and use of ICT tools for their extension work. The study has implications for providing functional ICT tools to the respondents for effective extension delivery. It was observed that inadequate financial support from the government poses a great threat to use of ICT tools by respondents from public extension organisations in the course of performing their extension duties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the outbreak of COVID-19, information and communication technology (ICT), as a part of digital technology, was of particular help to microenterprises in obtaining resources. Drawing upon Conservation of Resources Theory, we investigated the impact of ICT use on entrepreneurial performance. To examine our hypotheses, data were collected from 206 Chinese microenterprises. The results suggest that ICT use was positively related to entrepreneurial performance, that network capabilities mediated the relationship between ICT use and entrepreneurial performance and that perceived ICT usefulness moderated the relationship between ICT use and network capabilities. Finally, the implications, limitations and future research directions will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study analyses the hidden relationship between transport and ICT use for an extensive sample of 26,500 EU citizens. To that aim, a fuzzy clustering Eco-extended apostle model is applied to both latent variables: interurban transport trips and ICT use. The interurban long-distance trip (LDT) latent variable is measured by four different indicators (long- and medium-distance trips for work and leisure in the past twelve months), and the ICT use is based on a ten-item scale that provides information on different transport modes. The fuzzy Eco-extended apostle model is compared with the classical apostle model, translating the satisfaction and loyalty dimensions to our case. The fuzzy clustering model shows that most EU citizens are similar to the representative citizen who moved and used ICT at very low rates (56.5 and 50.4 per cent, respectively). The classical apostle model shows that the quadrants low LDT–high ICT and low LDT–low ICT are more represented by 38.5 and 35.2 per cent, respectively. However, the Eco-extended apostle model reinforces the results of the quadrant of low LDT–low ICT (40.22%) but softens those obtained in the quadrant of low LDT–high ICT (21.01%). Interesting insights of the effects of gender, age, education, and employment status are discussed.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) plays a crucial role in the current educational context, and it must be introduced by teachers to their students. Teachers in this 4.0 era of Education need to adapt to this rapidly. The use of ICT in teaching helps explain challenging and abstract materials in a more tangible and contextual way. Additionally, it aims to overcome communication barriers between educators and learners. The objective of this research is to explore a deep understanding of the importance of ICT in the context of elementary school education. The research method used is a literature review based on the analysis and synthesis of information sources available in the literature or references that are relevant to this research topic. The research results explain that use of ICT as a learning tool in elementary schools has a positive impact on students' learning achievements and can stimulate their interest in learning. The use of ICT also enables more flexible and effective learning in improving the quality of education. However, there are challenges, including the lack of infrastructure and teacher readiness. Nevertheless, the use of ICT at the elementary school level holds great potential for enhancing the quality of education. Therefore, efforts are needed to improve access to the use of ICT in education.

This study aims to identify the profiles regarding students' familiarity with information and communication technology (ICT) and their relationships to reading literacy and background variables for high-performing countries in PISA 2018. We distinguished four classes in each of the six countries (Estonia, Hong Kong, Ireland, New Zealand, Poland, and Sweden), three classes in Finland and Korea, two classes in Macao, and five classes in Singapore. In most countries, the class with the highest perceived autonomy related to ICT use and low use of ICT at school showed the highest reading literacy. In contrast, the class with the highest overall ICT familiarity had the lowest reading literacy. Classes with a high ICT familiarity tended to have a higher proportion of male students. Finally, the SES of the class with the lowest ICT familiarity was significantly lower than that of other classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an early exploration of the utility of a theoretical model of internal and external factors that influence and determine relationships between doctoral researchers and information and communication technologies (ICTs). We discuss feedback gathered from three iterations of a voluntary, online, open programme called 23 Things International to illustrate how the components of the model emerge through participants’ reported experiences of the programme; a key is understanding how context-dependent uptake of specific ICTs can be closely connected to whether participants can relate materials directly to their own situation. Although further investigation of the model is warranted, there are indications that it will be useful for guiding not only improvements to future iterations of 23 Things International, but also for designing, developing and implementing learning environments that meet the needs of participants from a variety of (doctoral research) settings. It will also help those responsible for providing such support to understand the varied responses doctoral researchers may have to professional development programmes and support. Implications for practice or policy • The model provides insights into factors that influence and determine learner response to incorporating ICTs within doctoral research processes. • Examples and discussion of learner responses to doctoral research ICT-focused professional development programmes are useful to course designers. • Course design should enable learners to translate ideas into meaningful thinking and practice within their own research contexts. • Improvement to the model's applicability requires systematic analysis of its components using a relevant test base (i.e., 23 Things International). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Encouraging farmers to participate in domestic waste sorting is an important initiative to optimize rural habitats and build a beautiful countryside. Using data from a sample of 2126 farmers obtained from a Chinese micro-survey, this paper empirically investigates the impact of ICT use on farmers' domestic waste classification using OLS and ordered probability models and examines the mediating role of environmental quality perception. The study shows that ICT use has a significant negative effect on farmers' environmental quality perceptions and a significant positive effect on farmers' domestic waste sorting. Furthermore, the direct positive effect of ICT use on farmers' domestic waste sorting is greater than its negative indirect effect through environmental quality perceptions. Finally, farmers with ICT use are more willing to participate in domestic waste sorting. This suggests that farmers may have a tendency to complain and express dissatisfaction on the internet but still behave in a way that is participatory in waste sorting. The results of the study still hold after a rigorous robustness test. In addition, there are significant differences in the impact of ICT use on different age and income groups, so policies should be tailored to different groups. More attention should be paid to the environmental welfare effects on older and lower-income groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing body of research has examined the relations of dispositions toward information and communication technology (ICT) to intercultural competence among university students. However, there is little research exploring the associations between ICT-related dispositions and intercultural competence among adolescent students. The mechanism of such relationships also remains unknown. Therefore, from a self-determination theory perspective, this study investigated the relationships of perceived autonomy, competence, and relatedness in ICT usage with global competence—intercultural knowledge, skills and attitudes—among 17,055 15-year-old students from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan in PISA 2018. Results of Multilevel Structural Equation Modelling (MSEM) analyses indicated that perceived autonomy in ICT use, perceived competence in ICT use and perceived relatedness in ICT use all positively affected intercultural knowledge, skills and attitudes. Further, the results of the study revealed that the use of social media was a partial mediator in the relationship between perceived autonomy/competence in ICT use and intercultural knowledge/skills; and between perceived relatedness/competence in ICT use and intercultural attitudes. Our findings emphasized the importance of satisfying students' ICT-related needs and acknowledged the role of the use of social media in cultivating their global competence. Implications for teachers, schools and parents were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper examines the challenges that highly skilled immigrant workers face and their strategies of adaptation. We employ the term “precarious talent” to capture an often neglected aspect of skilled migration. Using both survey data and interviews on skilled Chinese and Indian immigrants in Singapore, we find that these migrants confront varying degrees of employment insecurity and settlement uncertainty in an era of neoliberal globalization, contrary to the common perception of “foreign talent” as a privileged group. We also find that skilled immigrants actively use Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to mitigate precarity: they use the Internet and social media to access timely job information, sustain social contacts across national borders, and adapt to life and work in the host society. However, the ability to effectively cope with precarity depends on their own socioeconomic status, context of reception, and homeland development. We discuss theoretical implications of our findings.

Highlights Men’s solitary ICT use during travel is driven by their economic situation and preference for ICT use. Women’s socializing during travel is primarily influenced by their children and preference for ICT use. Driving and travel duration positively impact individuals’ solitary time use during travel. Non-work trips and family attributes positively influence individuals’ socializing during travel.

While infusion of technology into schools has been one of the top priorities of the education reform agenda across the world, findings from many large-scale international assessments indicate that students’ use of information and communication technology (ICT) has mixed effects on their academic achievements. In this paper, we argue that these ambivalent findings were due to the oversight of the indirect effects of ICT use mediated by other ICT-related variables. We employed multilevel structural equation modelling to unfold the relationship between students’ ICT use and their academic achievements based on PISA 2015 data. The results indicated that students’ autonomy in ICT use and students’ interest in ICT use were found to have significant positive direct effects on students’ academic achievements at both within-school and between-school levels. These two variables played a significant role in mediating the indirect effects of ICT use outside school for schoolwork and ICT resources on students’ academic achievements. On the contrary, ICT resources and ICT use at school exerted either no direct effect or a negative direct effect on students’ academic achievements and students’ perceived autonomy related to ICT use, suggesting that mere provision and use of ICT resources in school did not necessarily guarantee success in student performance. At the school level, school’s transformational leadership and collaborative climate helped promote students’ autonomy in ICT use.

The article presents part of a diagnostic and correlational study of mixed character that establishes pupils’ information competency in the use of ICT methods and tools. It investigates the effects of children’s and teenagers’ ICT use (importance levels of new media influence) on improving reflexes and manual coordination. To obtain the data, the author used a diagnostic survey method (questionnaire and interview) and statistical methods (chi-square test of independence and Pearson’s correlation coefficient). Together, 2,510 pupils and 1,110 teachers were surveyed. It was found that in the aggregated importance hierarchy of ICT effects, the category ‘reflexes and manual coordination’ was given a high weight by the pupils (third place) and a very high weight by the teachers (second place). There was a faint and negative correlation (r @ -0.009) between pupils’ opinions and teachers’ observations on the effects of ICT use by children and teenagers in the improvement of reflexes and manual coordination. The calculations of differential factors revealed statistically significant differences between the opinions of the two groups and gender, educational stage, place of learning and the gender of teachers. There was a noticeable discrepancy between the pupils’ and teachers’ opinions: a not very significant ‘separation’ of the world of children and teenagers (‘us’) from the world of teachers (‘them’). This may raise concerns as teachers’ recognition and understanding of students’ needs, according to the ideas of constructivism, is one of the key factors in the success of the educational process.

Abstract This study analyzed the latest four PISA surveys, 2009, 2012, 2015, and 2018, to explore the association between students’ ICT-related use and math and science performance. Using ICT Engagement Theory as a theoretical framework and a three-level hierarchical linear modeling approach, while controlling for confounding effects, ICT-related independent variables of interest were added to the models at the student, school, and country levels. The series of models revealed that, in general, an increase in ICT availability and ICT use both inside and outside school had a negative association with learning outcomes, while students’ positive attitude toward ICT demonstrated a strong positive relationship. However, students’ perceived autonomy related to ICT use had the strongest association with academic performance, which is consistent with the changing nature of the modern learning environments. Findings revealed that virtually all forms of student ICT use, both inside and outside of school and whether subject related or not, had no substantive positive relationship with student performance in math or science. Conversely, higher student attitude toward, confidence in, belief in utility of, and autonomous use of ICT was associated with higher math and science performance for each of the four years of the study. Incidentally, we also found that while country GDP per capita had no consistent association with student performance, a school’s provision of extra-curricula activities did. Recommendations for educational leaders, teachers, and parents are offered.

Introduction: Digital innovations make it possible to work anywhere and anytime using any kind of device. Given these evolutions, availability norms are emerging at work. These norms specifically refer to the experienced beliefs or expectations from colleagues or superiors to be available for work-related communication after regular work hours. We rely on the Job-Demands Resources Model as we aim to investigate the relationship between these availability norms and burnout symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. We first of all study to what extent availability norms are associated with heightened burnout symptoms. Secondly, we study how both a personal demand, namely telepressure, and a job resource, namely autonomy, could offer distinct and relevant explanations for the role these availability norms play in experiencing burnout symptoms. Method: We collected data through a survey study with 229 employees from various organizations in the second half of 2020. Results: The findings indicated that indeed availability norms are significantly associated with more burnout symptoms and that both heightened telepressure and reduced autonomy mediated this relationship. Discussion: This study contributes to theory and practice as we offer insight into how availability norms at work could be detrimental for the occupational health of employees, which can be taken into account when setting up rules and regulations at work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to describe the effects of Technostress on employees' well-being and productivity. We adopted the Job Demands Resources Model as a theoretical framework to analyze the "Technostress" phenomenon in order to clarify whether and how technology can be considered a job demand, a job resource, or part of the effects of personal resources in the workplace. The sources search and selection process was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines and regarded papers published from 2010 to 2022. Overall, the findings show that most selected papers consider ICT a job demand negatively affecting human behavior, thoughts, and attitudes. In contrast, some report that ICT acts as a job resource, thus reducing the impact of job demands and their physiological and psychological costs. Finally, a third category of studies does not consider the effects of ICT itself but gives more space to the interaction among ICT, the organizational context in which it is used, and the personal characteristics of ICT users. More specifically, the findings show how individual features and organizational procedures can shape the interpretations employees make about their ICT-related experiences at work and, consequently, their performance or well-being. Findings suggest that when ICT tools are strategically planned and used within organizations, they can enrich the employee experience at work, positively affecting the individual and the organizational level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time use during travel has been the subject of considerable research in recent years thanks to its crucial role in determining the utility of travel time. While most of these studies have documented the effects of demographics and trip characteristics on travel time use, the effect of gender is still ambiguous. To understand the role of gender in travel time use, we explore the effect of gender interaction with non-travel time use behavior (daily habits, multitasking and preferences), joint travel (travel companion), and economic situation (income and working hours) on various time use activities (reading, ICT use and talking) during travel. Moreover, we address the mixed and scant evidence from prior studies regarding the effect of sociodemographic, residential and trip characteristics on travel time use. The study used the cross-sectional German Time Use Survey 2012/13 data and employed multi-level binary logistic regression for analysis. The results indicate four important findings: (1) women's socializing during travel is principally influenced by primary time spent on interaction with children and ICT usage, while men's socializing during travel is positively influenced by traveling with their partners and socializing habits; (2) both women's and men's solitary activities during travel (e.g. reading/ICT use) are influenced by their economic situation (e.g. income, working hours) and daily non-travel time use habits (reading habits/ICT use habits); (3) individuals' solitary time use during travel is positively influenced by other potential determinants such as living in semi-urban areas/East Germany, driving or traveling by public transport; and (4) socializing during travel is positively influenced by living with partners, having young children, evening/night/weekend trips, maintenance/leisure trips, traveling by public transport and walking. Highlights: Men's solitary ICT use during travel is driven by their economic situation and preference for ICT use. Women's socializing during travel is primarily influenced by their children and preference for ICT use. Driving and travel duration positively impact individuals' solitary time use during travel. Non-work trips and family attributes positively influence individuals' socializing during travel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study investigated issues relating to the availability, accessibility, extent of use, and major factors inhibiting the use of ICT tools among the registry staff of the University of Ibadan, Oyo State. Survey design was adopted. The population comprised 520 members of staff across the various sections of the Registry, out of which 260 (50%) respondents were sampled. A structured questionnaire and an interview schedule were used for data collection. Quantitative data were subjected to frequency distribution, while interview responses were transcribed and thematically analysed. Findings showed that a good number of basic ICT tools such as desktop computers, printers, e-mail services, word processors, spreadsheets and presentation software are available to the registry staff for official work in the University, although some of them require upgrade. The available ICT tools are easily accessible to the registry staff for official work, and a high use of the ICT tools was revealed. The major challenges facing the registry staff in their use of ICT tools include inadequacy of ICT tools and consumables, obsolescence of ICT tools, lack of regular maintenance of ICT tools, unreliable internet access, unstable power supply, lack of technical assistance with ICT use, inadequate training, among others. Based on the findings, recommendations are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents part of a diagnostic and correlational study of mixed character that establishes pupils' information competency in the use of ICT methods and tools. It investigates the effects of children's and teenagers' ICT use (importance levels of new media influence) on improving reflexes and manual coordination. To obtain the data, the author used a diagnostic survey method (questionnaire and interview) and statistical methods (chisquare test of independence and Pearson's correlation coefficient). Together, 2,510 pupils and 1,110 teachers were surveyed. It was found that in the aggregated importance hierarchy of ICT effects, the category 'reflexes and manual coordination' was given a high weight by the pupils (third place) and a very high weight by the teachers (second place). There was a faint and negative cor-relation (r @ -0.009) between pupils' opinions and teachers' observations on the effects of ICT use by children and teenagers in the improvement of reflexes and manual coordination. The calculations of differential factors revealed statistically significant differences between the opinions of the two groups and gender, educational stage, place of learning and the gender of teachers. There was a noticeable discrepancy between the pupils' and teachers' opinions: a not very significant 'separation' of the world of children and teenagers ('us') from the world of teachers ('them'). This may raise concerns as teachers' recognition and understanding of students' needs, according to the ideas of constructivism, is one of the key factors in the success of the educational process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing countries exert much effort to improve the quality of their higher education. The use of information and communication technology (ICT) may address some of the quality problems in higher education in these countries. Previous studies on this topic stressed the impact of ICT use on learning, the status of ICT integration in education, and the factors associated with ICT integration with minimal attention to how instructors in higher education in developing countries use ICT. This study employed a qualitative approach, collecting data from twenty-one by then active instructors in three public universities in Ethiopia through focus group discussion to explore the educational use of ICT. The data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically using ATLAS.ti software. The results show that instructors in the selected Ethiopian universities use ICT for course facilitation, course materials preparation, professional development, assessment, and information and resource exchange purposes. However, these findings do not reveal a transformative use of ICT in education, which may imply that ICT is not used in a manner that alters existing teacher-centered approaches. This study suggests that future studies may focus on why instructors rarely use ICT in a transformative way and developing a tailor-made and efficient model that informs practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background To answer whether older adults' cognitive function benefits from ICT use, we (1) examined the relationship between ICT use and cognitive decline during the COVID-19 pandemic and (2) explored the potential role of ICT use in mitigating the relationship between loneliness, social isolation, and cognitive decline among community-dwelling older adults. Methods From February to March 2021, a mail survey was distributed to 1,400 older adults aged 70–89 years old. Responded participants were 1,003 (71.6% response rate). Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) was the independent variable. ICT use was assessed based on ICT use history and current ICT use activities. Loneliness was based on the Japanese version of the Three-Item Loneliness Scale. Social isolation was a total score of six items. Covariate-adjusted logistic regressions were performed and stratified by age groups (70–79 and ≥ 80 years). Results During the COVID-19 epidemic, the proportion of people aged ≥ 80 years who reported cognitive decline was twice that of 70s. Non-ICT use was independently associated with a higher risk of cognitive decline in participants aged ≥ 80 years. Furthermore, the significant associations between cognitive decline and interaction items (non-ICT use by loneliness or social isolation) were observed in the ≥ 80 age group. No association was found in the 70–79 age group. Conclusions Non-ICT users with high loneliness or social isolation scores were more likely to experience cognitive decline for adults age ≥ 80 years. For older adults who were vulnerable to poor social relationships, ICT use is potentially an efficient intervention. Further longitudinal investigations are needed.