Cutting-edge Technologies in Higher Education, 2013
ABSTRACT Learner control is a widely touted and popular element of e-learning, both in the educat... more ABSTRACT Learner control is a widely touted and popular element of e-learning, both in the educational and organizational training domains. In this chapter, we explore the concept of learner control, highlighting its multidimensional and psychological nature. We examine the theoretical basis for the effects of learner control on learning and engagement. Next, we provide the reader with empirically based recommendations for designing learnercontrolled training. We conclude by discussing how learner control research may be adapted to accommodate a variety of instructional methods, such as textbooks, mobile learning, and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).
This study examines the extent to which a sense of calling affects career choice attitudes. Drawi... more This study examines the extent to which a sense of calling affects career choice attitudes. Drawing from social cognitive career theory, the study tested the extent to which calling is related to career outcome expectations, interests, and goals. Participants were asked to identify a job that they wanted to perform and completed a questionnaire assessing their attitudes toward the career. We conducted structural equation modeling analyses to test our hypotheses. The results suggest that calling provides unique predictive power beyond self-efficacy for career outcome expectations, interests, and goals. Calling was a stronger predictor than self-efficacy of outcome expectations and interests, but a weaker predictor than self-efficacy of goals. Calling moderated self-efficacy such that self-efficacy was less predictive of outcome expectations when calling was high. The study improves our understanding of career choice attitudes and provides an improved framework for practitioners to dr...
This response to Perna et al. provides an alternate approach to research on massive open online c... more This response to Perna et al. provides an alternate approach to research on massive open online courses (MOOCs). We argue that a student-centered, theory-driven conceptualization and methodological approaches allow us to move beyond descriptive statistics and into a deeper understanding of MOOC learners. Examples using a teacher development MOOC are presented.
Whether you are a first-year graduate stu- dent or within arm's reach of your degree, you cer... more Whether you are a first-year graduate stu- dent or within arm's reach of your degree, you certainly know the challenges of managing data, people, and things—managing research projects, managing RAs or TAs, and manag- ing your schedule and resources. Whether you are pursuing a career in academia or the applied world, effective management prac- tices are essential, and yet, our formal educa- tion often neglects these skills. In this column, we will provide you with practi- cal advice about the type of management challenges you can expect and share some tips about how to prepare for these challenges in your future career. To help us learn about managing data, people, and things on the job, we asked successful I-O psychologists in university and applied settings to share some critical incidents from their first years on the job. Our academic expert is Dr. Mo Wang, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Maryland. He received his PhD in 2005 from Bowling Green State...
In order to provide some index of the extent to which researchers consider omitted variable issue... more In order to provide some index of the extent to which researchers consider omitted variable issues in their work, we conducted a cited reference search. Specifically, we used the Social Science Citation Index to identify works that cited two seminal papers on omitted variables, James (1980) and Mauro (1990), on the assumption that authors dealing with omitted variables issues in their research would be likely to cite these works. A total of 63 sources were found that cited these studies. We then coded each of these sources into one of four categories based on the context in which they discussed omitted variables. Of the 63 sources, 12 actually took steps to assess risk from omitted variables or acted to minimize the impact of omitted variables in some way (e.g., including relevant variables not of central focus to the model [Prussia, Kinicki, & Bracker, 1993], testing alternative models with and without potential additional determinant variables [Colquitt, LePine, & Noe, 2000; Pruss...
co-principal investigators). OSPrI (Multiple Instrumental Case Studies of Inclusive STEM-focused ... more co-principal investigators). OSPrI (Multiple Instrumental Case Studies of Inclusive STEM-focused High Schools: Opportunity Structures for Preparation and Inspiration) is funded by the National Science Foundation (DRL-1118851). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of endorsement of the funding agency.
ABSTRACT Purpose ‐ Rich, interactive media are becoming extremely common in internet recruitment ... more ABSTRACT Purpose ‐ Rich, interactive media are becoming extremely common in internet recruitment systems. The paper investigates the role of media richness in applicants' ability to learn information relevant to making an application decision. The authors examine these relationships in the context of two competing theories, namely media richness theory and cognitive load theory, which predict opposite relationships with information acquisition. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approach ‐ Participants (n=471) either viewed a traditional web site or visited an interactive virtual world that contained information about an organization's culture, benefits, location, and job openings. Culture information was manipulated to either portray a highly teams-oriented culture or a highly individual-oriented culture. Findings ‐ Participants who viewed the low-richness site recalled more factual information about the organization; this effect was mediated by subjective mental workload. Richness was not related to differences in culture-related information acquisition. Practical implications ‐ These findings suggest that richer media (such as interactive virtual environments) may not be as effective as less rich media in conveying information. Specifically, the interactive elements may detract focus away from the information an organization wishes to portray. This may lead to wasted time on the part of applicants and organizations in the form of under- or over-qualified applications or a failure to follow instructions. Originality/value ‐ This study is among the first to use a cognitive load theory framework to suggest that richer media may not always achieve their desired effect.
Cutting-edge Technologies in Higher Education, 2013
ABSTRACT Learner control is a widely touted and popular element of e-learning, both in the educat... more ABSTRACT Learner control is a widely touted and popular element of e-learning, both in the educational and organizational training domains. In this chapter, we explore the concept of learner control, highlighting its multidimensional and psychological nature. We examine the theoretical basis for the effects of learner control on learning and engagement. Next, we provide the reader with empirically based recommendations for designing learnercontrolled training. We conclude by discussing how learner control research may be adapted to accommodate a variety of instructional methods, such as textbooks, mobile learning, and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).
This study examines the extent to which a sense of calling affects career choice attitudes. Drawi... more This study examines the extent to which a sense of calling affects career choice attitudes. Drawing from social cognitive career theory, the study tested the extent to which calling is related to career outcome expectations, interests, and goals. Participants were asked to identify a job that they wanted to perform and completed a questionnaire assessing their attitudes toward the career. We conducted structural equation modeling analyses to test our hypotheses. The results suggest that calling provides unique predictive power beyond self-efficacy for career outcome expectations, interests, and goals. Calling was a stronger predictor than self-efficacy of outcome expectations and interests, but a weaker predictor than self-efficacy of goals. Calling moderated self-efficacy such that self-efficacy was less predictive of outcome expectations when calling was high. The study improves our understanding of career choice attitudes and provides an improved framework for practitioners to dr...
This response to Perna et al. provides an alternate approach to research on massive open online c... more This response to Perna et al. provides an alternate approach to research on massive open online courses (MOOCs). We argue that a student-centered, theory-driven conceptualization and methodological approaches allow us to move beyond descriptive statistics and into a deeper understanding of MOOC learners. Examples using a teacher development MOOC are presented.
Whether you are a first-year graduate stu- dent or within arm's reach of your degree, you cer... more Whether you are a first-year graduate stu- dent or within arm's reach of your degree, you certainly know the challenges of managing data, people, and things—managing research projects, managing RAs or TAs, and manag- ing your schedule and resources. Whether you are pursuing a career in academia or the applied world, effective management prac- tices are essential, and yet, our formal educa- tion often neglects these skills. In this column, we will provide you with practi- cal advice about the type of management challenges you can expect and share some tips about how to prepare for these challenges in your future career. To help us learn about managing data, people, and things on the job, we asked successful I-O psychologists in university and applied settings to share some critical incidents from their first years on the job. Our academic expert is Dr. Mo Wang, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Maryland. He received his PhD in 2005 from Bowling Green State...
In order to provide some index of the extent to which researchers consider omitted variable issue... more In order to provide some index of the extent to which researchers consider omitted variable issues in their work, we conducted a cited reference search. Specifically, we used the Social Science Citation Index to identify works that cited two seminal papers on omitted variables, James (1980) and Mauro (1990), on the assumption that authors dealing with omitted variables issues in their research would be likely to cite these works. A total of 63 sources were found that cited these studies. We then coded each of these sources into one of four categories based on the context in which they discussed omitted variables. Of the 63 sources, 12 actually took steps to assess risk from omitted variables or acted to minimize the impact of omitted variables in some way (e.g., including relevant variables not of central focus to the model [Prussia, Kinicki, & Bracker, 1993], testing alternative models with and without potential additional determinant variables [Colquitt, LePine, & Noe, 2000; Pruss...
co-principal investigators). OSPrI (Multiple Instrumental Case Studies of Inclusive STEM-focused ... more co-principal investigators). OSPrI (Multiple Instrumental Case Studies of Inclusive STEM-focused High Schools: Opportunity Structures for Preparation and Inspiration) is funded by the National Science Foundation (DRL-1118851). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of endorsement of the funding agency.
ABSTRACT Purpose ‐ Rich, interactive media are becoming extremely common in internet recruitment ... more ABSTRACT Purpose ‐ Rich, interactive media are becoming extremely common in internet recruitment systems. The paper investigates the role of media richness in applicants' ability to learn information relevant to making an application decision. The authors examine these relationships in the context of two competing theories, namely media richness theory and cognitive load theory, which predict opposite relationships with information acquisition. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approach ‐ Participants (n=471) either viewed a traditional web site or visited an interactive virtual world that contained information about an organization's culture, benefits, location, and job openings. Culture information was manipulated to either portray a highly teams-oriented culture or a highly individual-oriented culture. Findings ‐ Participants who viewed the low-richness site recalled more factual information about the organization; this effect was mediated by subjective mental workload. Richness was not related to differences in culture-related information acquisition. Practical implications ‐ These findings suggest that richer media (such as interactive virtual environments) may not be as effective as less rich media in conveying information. Specifically, the interactive elements may detract focus away from the information an organization wishes to portray. This may lead to wasted time on the part of applicants and organizations in the form of under- or over-qualified applications or a failure to follow instructions. Originality/value ‐ This study is among the first to use a cognitive load theory framework to suggest that richer media may not always achieve their desired effect.
I-O researchers are constantly seeking sources for large and representative participant samples. ... more I-O researchers are constantly seeking sources for large and representative participant samples. A relatively new option which has seen growing use is Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk; www.mturk.com). MTurk is an online marketplace connecting two groups: requesters offering payment for completion of human intelligence tasks (HITs) and workers willing to complete such tasks. Though human subjects research was not the intended purpose of this marketplace, it has proved viable as a source of participants. Our goal in this article is to—using a frequently asked questions (FAQ) format—provide an overview of MTurk for the I-O community and to discuss practical applications of this method for academic and applied research, drawing on recent research and our own experiences.
It is increasingly common for people engaging in computer–mediated interactions to be accompanied... more It is increasingly common for people engaging in computer–mediated interactions to be accompanied by a digital avatar that represents them. Little is known, however, about how these avatars influence others’ impressions. We examine this question in the context of employment interviews. It is well known that attractive job candidates are afforded an advantage in traditional face-to-face job interviews. We investigate whether raters evaluating computer–mediated interviews will follow a similar pattern when a digital avatar represents the candidate. To investigate this question, we asked 374 raters to view an interview transcript that was accompanied by either a male or female avatar, applying for either a male or female gender-typed job. We found that candidates with more attractive avatars received more favorable interview ratings, regardless of job gender type. These findings support the notion that the “what is beautiful is good” stereotype influences interview ratings even in computer-mediated interviews; raters automatically apply the same heuristics to digital and non-digital faces.
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Papers by Tara Behrend