Kristy J. Lauver

Do psychosocial and study skill factors predict college outcomes? A meta-analysis

This study examines the relationship between psychosocial and study skill factors (PSFs) and college outcomes by meta-analyzing 109 studies. On the basis of educational persistence and motivational theory models, the PSFs were categorized into 9 broad constructs: achievement motivation, academic goals, institutional commitment, perceived social support, social involvement, academic self-efficacy, general self-concept, academic-related skills, and contextual influences. Two college outcomes were targeted: performance (cumulative grade point average; GPA) and persistence (retention). Meta-analyses indicate moderate relationships between retention and academic goals, academic self-efficacy, and academic-related skills (ps =.340,.359, and.366, respectively). The best predictors for GPA were academic self-efficacy and achievement motivation (ps =.496 and.303, respectively). Supplementary regression analyses confirmed the incremental contributions of the PSF over and above those of socioeconomic status, standardized achievement, and high school GPA in predicting college outcomes.

The role of workers’ trust and perceived benefits in lean implementation success

Both the academic and practitioner literature agree upon the importance of employees’ perceived job security in order for lean implementation to succeed. However, anecdotal evidences seem to indicate that too many organisations embark on a lean journey with the implicit and/or explicit goal of reducing labour costs, laying off people when lean implementation success leads to enhanced productivity and efficiency. Such practices would only decrease the level of perceived job security of workers, leading to decreased level of employees’ trust in management and their perception on personal benefits of lean. This research investigates, through a survey of 180 production workers in the Midwest USA, the critical role of perceived job security, trust in management, and lean training in enhancing the perception of personal benefits of lean, which leads to lean implementation success. The results support the notion that lean implementation success depends upon conducive mindset for lean among production workers.

Get Safety Problems to the Surface Using Human Resource Practices to Improve Injury Reporting

This study examines the relationship that employee perceptions of rewards, training, and selection have with reported and unreported employee injuries requiring doctors attention, first aid cases, and near misses. Additionally, this study examines the relationship of selection and training with injury reporting beyond that of rewards, because reporting relationships have not previously been examined in either of these areas. Study results indicate that employee perception of training is associated with a decrease in the number of unreported injuries including doctors attention, first aid cases, and near misses, and employee perceptions of selection are associated with a decrease in the number of unreported first aid cases. Both training and selection were related to the number of unreported injuries above and beyond the effect of rewards for safety. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Preference of education mode

Purpose – This study aims to examine why students choose to or choose not to take and their perspectives of online courses, by obtaining responses from both students who have and have not taken online classes.Design/methodology/approach – A survey methodology is used, including both open‐ended qualitative questions as well as a quantitative question.Findings – Support for past research was found through students indicating the importance of flexibility and convenience in online courses. Countering past research was the high level of consistency between the two populations’ perspectives of online courses. Two key distinctions were found between the populations: the amount of focus on the cost of courses by those choosing not to take online classes, and the awareness of the need of self‐motivation needed in online courses by those who had taken them.Research limitations/implications – This research was conducted at just one organization, so generalizability across institutions would need to be confirmed.Pra...

Information by Design: How Employee Perceptions of Organizational Design Relate to Injury Reporting

Using survey methodology, this study examines employee perceptions of two key organizational design factors (employee empowerment and alignment of safety practices) and their relationship with nonreporting of employee injuries and near misses. Results show employee perceptions of alignment of safety practices are related to decreased levels of unreported near misses and unreported first aid injuries. However, perceptions of employee empowerment generated counterintuitive results, indicating empowerment is associated with increased levels of unreported near misses. Given the importance of reporting safety incidents, including near misses, to improving safety outcomes, the results reveal that organizational designs that empower employees with regard to safety may yield unintended—and undesirable—consequences.

The hospital safety coordinator as “practical author”

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how one hospital safety coordinator socially constructs a complete environment of care. Specifically, it applies Shotters “practical author” framework to examine the author‐response interaction between the safety coordinator and other mid‐level supervisors.Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative methodology is employed to examine this authorship. Data include printed materials employees receive upon hire, an observation of an environment of care orientation presentation, and semi‐structured interviews with the safety coordinator and mid‐level supervisors.Findings – The paper reveals how the safety coordinator uses a variety of rhetorical strategies to balance the tensions between mandating compliance with environment of care requirements and facilitating buy‐in to the idea of compliance as a moral and ethical imperative. This creates an ethos among the employees where they feel authorized to go beyond the requirements and act on their own to constru...

Environmental responsibility: millennial values and cultural dimensions

Purpose This study aims to examine how students in business colleges across three countries, the United States, India and China, interpret environmental sustainability. This study also explores where students from different cultures believe responsibility lies in caring for the environment and how these beliefs represent their cultural and millennial values. The purpose of this study, then, is to investigate millennial business students’ perspectives toward the environment across the three countries holding the largest ecological footprint. Design/methodology/approach College of business students from the United States, India and China were surveyed. Student responses regarding environmental sustainability were compared to values of the millennial generation and placement of responsibility compared to national culture dimensions. Findings An average of 66.3 per cent of the coded responses reflect the optimism of the generation. Concern for future generations was a frequent theme. Most responses assigned responsibility for environmental sustainability to “all”. Results support the work of Husted (2005) and Park et al. (2007) as well as the expectations of the millennial generation’s values related to environmental sustainability. Originality/value The authors connect national cultural research to environmental sustainability. This study explores where students from different cultures believe responsibility lies in caring for the environment and how these beliefs represent their cultural and millennial values. National cultural combined with millennial opinion is an important area of research for understanding the assignment of responsibility related to environmental sustainability.

Is this what I signed up for? MBA and undergraduate business student perspectives of online courses

Differences between student perspectives of online courses depending on their level of education (graduate vs. undergraduate) and original choice of educational mode (whether students have enrolled in a complete online degree program or in an on-campus program) were investigated. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used in surveying students. Results indicated differences in student perspectives on the effectiveness of the education obtained online, the amount of student interaction, and the amount of time required for online vs. on-campus courses. The one constant between all three groups was the high amount of perceived flexibility that online courses provide.