Browsing by Author "Dias-Oliveira, Eva"
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- Blurred boundaries: exploring the influence of work-life and life-work conflicts on university teachers’ health, work results, and willingness to teleworkingPublication . Sobral, Filipa; Dias-Oliveira, Eva; Morais, Catarina; Hodgson, JuliaCOVID-19 lockdowns forced organizations to rapidly shift from face-to-face interactions to online platforms, leading to unforeseen challenges. This study retrospectively examines the extreme conditions of teleworking, which blurred the boundaries between home and workspaces, providing a unique opportunity to assess perceptions of work-life and life-work conflicts and their consequences. Data were collected from university teachers through an anonymous online survey (N = 383). A path analysis using IBM SPSS AMOS software assessed the relationship between work-life and life-work conflicts, burnout, performance, and willingness to continue teleworking. Results suggest work-life and life-work conflicts produce different spillovers. Both conflicts significantly contributed to burnout, but only life-work conflict significantly related to perceived performance, and this relationship was negative. Burnout was negatively associated with perceived performance but had no significant relationship with willingness to continue teleworking after lockdowns. Conversely, the relationship between perceived performance and willingness to continue teleworking was significantly positive. These findings emphasize the interplay between work-life and life-work conflicts and their effects on workers’ perceptions. Organizations should consider these dynamics when designing remote work policies to mitigate burnout and enhance employee performance and satisfaction. It is crucial for leadership to take responsibility for prioritizing the well-being of workers and their working conditions, as their actions significantly influence work design, individual and team goals, and the overall organizational climate.
- Impact of COVID-19 on undergraduate business students: a longitudinal study on academic motivation, engagement and attachment to universityPublication . Pasion, Rita; Dias-Oliveira, Eva; Camacho, Ana; Morais, Catarina; Franco, Raquel CamposPurpose – This study aims to explore whether the COVID-19-related circumstances hindered these academic-related variables. Design Methodology Approach – The authors surveyed two groups of undergraduate business students (42% male) who completed the questionnaires at the beginning and at the end of the semester. One group of students attended only face-to-face classes in the 2018/2019 academic year (n = 126) and the other group transitioned to online classes because of the COVID-19 outbreak in the 2019/2020 academic year (n = 99). Findings – The findings show no statistically significant group differences between the pre- and post-test in students’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, feelings of attachment to the university and engagement dimensions of absorption and vigour. Nevertheless, a moderate negative effect was found in the dedication engagement dimension. Practical Implications – The authors discuss the main results in terms of some practices that may contribute towards attenuating the effects of future emerging pandemics in the higher education setting. Originality Value – The COVID-19 pandemic imposed a rapid transition to online instruction in education institutions worldwide. However, it remains unclear to date how students’ engagement, motivation and attachment to the university were negatively affected by the first COVID-19 outbreak.
- ‘‘It is no big deal!’’: fraud diamond theory as an explanatory model for understanding students’ academic fraudulent behaviorPublication . Dias-Oliveira, Eva; Morais, Catarina; Pasion, Rita; Hodgson, JuliaThe Fraud Diamond theory (rationalization, opportunity, motivation and perceived capability) has been widely used as a framework to explain criminal behavior. However, little is known about its application in an academic context. Research on the relationship between the prevalence of academic fraud (e.g., cheating on exams, plagiarizing essays) and students’ perceptions of the severity of such behaviors is also lacking. We surveyed 1,032 university students and asked them whether they engaged in fraudulent behaviors and how severe they thought these behaviors were. The results showed that motivation, rationalization, and perceived capability dimensions of the Fraud Diamond theory are important factors in predicting the prevalence of students’ academic fraudulent behavior, but not opportunity. We also found that the more students reported that they engaged in fraudulent academic behaviors, the less severe they perceived those behaviors to be. However, only rationalization emerged as a predictor of perceived severity. The results suggest that the more students are able to find justifications for their fraudulent behavior, the less severe they perceive those behaviors to be. Rationalization seems to explain, therefore, the tendency to disassociate moral values from dishonest behavior. Taken together, the study shows a vicious cycle between engaging in fraudulent academic behavior and the ability to justify these acts. Implications for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are discussed.
- The development of critical thinking, team working, and communication skills in a Business School – a project-based learning approachPublication . Dias-Oliveira, Eva; Pasion, Rita; Cunha, Rui Vieira da; Coelho, Sandra LimaThis study presents a Project-Based Learning (PBL) approach – the Multidisciplinary Project I course (MPI) - conceived to improve critical thinking skills of first-year business students while also mobilising teamwork and communication skills. The main goals are to 1) describe the methodological PBL approach of MPI and 2) analyse changes in critical thinking, team working, and communication skills during the semester (pre- and post-test) by comparing management and economics students enrolled in MP1 (n = 946) to a control group (n = 210) including students from other courses. Our findings show that, at the end of the semester, MPI students reported a greater reduction in their critical thinking difficulties and communication apprehension and improvements in teamwork skills. This study provides evidence supporting the inclusion of PBL approaches to promote skills in business students that can be transferable to real-world settings.