School Belonging in Online Instruction: Cross-Sectional and Prospective Relationships with Academic Adjustment in Higher Education Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The study aimed to analyse changes in school belonging in higher education students during online instruction and to verify its cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships with academic adjustment in the first and higher years of study. The research sample consisted of 169 higher education students (90.5% women, M = 21.71;SD = 2.63) in the first measurement (end of the winter term), and 77 respondents (96% women, M = 21.38;SD = 2.03) in the second measurement (end of the summer term). Self-report methods were used. Results showed a decline in school belonging among first-year students. School belonging significantly predicted academic adjustment, and the relationship with internal motivation persisted even four months later. The findings support the key role and need for facilitating school belonging in higher education students in the online environment. © 2023, Adam Marszalek Publishing House. All rights reserved.

A Study on the Influence of Task-driven Instruction on Learning Outcomes in Online Learning under COVID-19

Interest in online learning is increasing due to its advantages and pedagogical potential. However, few studies have investigated the effects of task-driven instruction on learning outcomes. This study examines the effectiveness of the application of task-driven instruction as a means of verifying that the use of task-driven instruction in online learning is effective by comparing changes in students' grades, intrinsic motivation, perceived social presence, and perceived cognitive load before and after the application of the method. Eighty high school students (33 males) were recruited for this experiment. Prior to the experiment, the purpose and steps of the study were explained frankly and candidly, problems and risks that might arise from participation in the study were pointed out, the benefits that would result from participation in the study were explained, and the possibility of voluntarily withdrawing from the study at any time was clearly communicated and approved by the study subjects or guardians. They were divided into experimental group I and control group II, with 40 students in each group. The results of the study showed that after the implementation of the instruction, the experimental group I performed significantly better than the control group II. In addition, the experimental group II outperformed the control group II in terms of perceived intrinsic motivation, social presence, and cognitive load. © 2023 ACM.

Motivation of UK graduate students in education: self-compassion moderates pathway from extrinsic motivation to intrinsic motivation.

Academic motivation is recognised as a key factor for academic success and wellbeing. Highly motivated students actively engage with academic activities and maintain good wellbeing. Despite the importance of motivation in education, its relationship with engagement and wellbeing remains to be evaluated. Accordingly, this study explored the relationships between motivation, engagement, self-criticism and self-compassion among UK education postgraduate students. Of 120 postgraduate students approached, 109 completed three self-report scales regarding those constructs. Correlation, regression and moderation analyses were performed. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation were positively associated with engagement, whereas amotivation was negatively associated with it. Engagement positively predicted intrinsic motivation. Self-criticism and self-compassion moderated the pathway from extrinsic motivation to intrinsic motivation: higher self-criticism weakened the pathway, while higher self-compassion strengthened it. Findings suggest the importance of engagement in relation to cultivating intrinsic motivation of education students. Moreover, enhancing self-compassion and reducing self-criticism can help transfer extrinsic to intrinsic motivation.

Predictors and mediators of pressure/tension in university students' distance learning during the Covid-19 pandemic: A self-determination theory perspective

Due to the global restrictions to decrease the risk of infection in classrooms, the transition from face-to-face education to distance learning was a necessity during the Covid-19 pandemic. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory, the present research sought to explore how the pandemic affects university students during distance learning. Specifically, the study examined the predictors of pressure/tension and attempted to identify the unique and mediator roles of correlates of pressure/tension of university students. This cross-sectional study was conducted with 432 university students from different departments of different universities in Turkey. The online survey was administered between the last week of October and the second week of December 2020. Our findings revealed that there is a positive association between pressure/tension and Covid-specific worry. Also, there is a negative association between learning climate and pressure/tension and between perceived competence and pressure/tension. Further, learning climate mediated the link between Covid-specific worry and pressure/tension. The data of the present study depends on students' academic (learning climate) and also non-academic (Covid worry) experiences during the pandemic. Methodological limitations concerning the research design are discussed.

The Impact of COVID-19 on PhD Research: An Autoethnographic Account by an International Student in Melbourne

Being a researcher on a highly sensitive issue and an international PhD student in Melbourne, I have faced significant challenges throughout my ongoing PhD journey. Using an autoethnographic approach, this chapter describes the lived experiences of the intense situations that impacted my research activities under the COVID-19 pandemic. Through my PhD, I am committed to contributing my bit toward changing global perceptions of HIV and AIDS. My intrinsic motivations draw from the death of my brother figure and childhood best friend. These motivations have enabled me to fight back against numerous challenges that have appeared within the circle of research opportunities. I dealt with each challenge by returning to my intrinsic motivations, showing resilience, and progressing with my research. In the beginning, I had challenges getting my project approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of my University, which took about two years. Once my research was approved, the COVID-19 pandemic situation pushed me back to square one. Subsequently, I chose an online research methodology due to the state of helplessness I experienced as a result of COVID-19 restrictions. These conditions changed my overall research landscape and introduced several unanticipated challenges to my original plans to conduct an ethnographic study. Based on my reflections, I recommend that all PhD researchers, and international students in particular, pay significant attention to the timeline of their candidature. Researchers need to be flexible and rationalise the importance of continuing their research activities amidst difficult situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.

Student engagement in online learning during COVID-19

Online teaching and learning have become the novel norm amidst COVID-19 pandemic crisis across the world. The educational institutions across the world have switched to online mode of instruction to continue to provide education. Thus, research on effectiveness of online teaching and factors affecting the student's engagement in a virtual classroom has gained importance. Students during pandemic are learning at home and lack motivation and confidence in their academic life. The present study aimed to analyze the student engagement and the factors that affect the student engagement in online learning environment. The study employed a quantitative research design to collect data from 600 students attending online classes in schools and colleges of Bangalore, India. The study found that there is a positive correlation between students' intrinsic motivation and student engagement. Student engagement increases as the academic pressure or tension decreases. The core findings of the study showed that interest towards learning, perceived competence, and perceived choice of students determines student engagement in online classroom. Almost 33.7 % variance in student engagement is because of students' intrinsic motivation. Future researchers may explore external factors affecting student engagement. Student engagement is significant for meaningful learning in online learning environment.

Gamification and policy compliance: Results from an online vignette experiment in the context of social distancing for public health security

The commonly applied strategies for promoting compliance with public health and safety policies can be inefficient and coercive, posing a need to examine novel motivational strategies to aid in this endeavor. Gamification, which aims to foster engagement and intrinsic motivation towards mundane activities and behaviors, is one of the vanguard design approaches among behavioral change support systems. Despite the increasing interest in gamification, the corpus lacks studies on its effects on policy compliance. Therefore, this study examines the relationships between gamification design types, gameful experience, and policy compliance in the social distancing context (during COVID-19) using a vignette-based online experiment (n=937). Based on the results, gameful experience mediates the positive relationships between achievement and progression-based, competitive, and immersive gamification and policy compliance, while social gamification is not associated with gameful experience. The results provide evidence of gamification's potential as a non-coercive method of helping people follow policies. © 2023 IEEE Computer Society. All rights reserved.

Mobile payment adoption by citizens of tier-II cities with special reference to COVID-19: extending UTAUT with intrinsic motivation and perceived credibility

The present study aims to identify the main determinants of mobile payment adoption in tier-II cities, specifically in the wake of COVID-19. We tried to contribute to the existing body of knowledge by proposing a model that combines two constructs, i.e., intrinsic motivation and perceived credibility in an extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2). The research model was empirically tested using 450 responses from a questionnaire-based survey conducted in India. Data was analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). We found intrinsic motivation and effort expectancy as the most significant determinants of the behavioural intentions to adopt mobile payment in tier-II cities of India. COVID-19 also emerged as a factor, but not the most important factor in the study. The study has relevance for practitioners also because understanding the key constructs is crucial to design, refine, and implement mobile payment services. Copyright © 2023 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Positive Psychology for Mental Wellbeing of UK Therapeutic Students: Relationships with Engagement, Motivation, Resilience and Self-Compassion.

This study aimed to examine the relationships between mental wellbeing and positive psychological constructs in therapeutic students (psychotherapy and occupational therapy students). The number of therapeutic students has increased recently; however, they suffer from poor mental health, which may be improved by potentiating their positive psychological constructs, bypassing mental health shame. Therapeutic students (n = 145) completed measures regarding positive psychological constructs, namely mental wellbeing, engagement, motivation, resilience, and self-compassion. Resilience and self-compassion predicted mental wellbeing, explaining a large effect. Self-compassion partially mediated the relationship between resilience and mental wellbeing. This study highlights the importance of positive psychological constructs, especially resilience and self-compassion, for mental wellbeing of therapeutic students.

How to improve students' intrinsic motivation and 4C skills in the virtual e-learning community and evaluate its results

Many courses from Chinese Universities have to change the teaching model and content in suit for distance learning because of COVID-19 pandemic. This paper indicates a virtual learning community called Digital Philosophy Club (DPC) instead of learning philosophy in classroom. It uses three cooperative platforms to integrate an E-learning environment, in which students can participate online activities. They can motivate positively through explorative, and social learning experiences. To research the result of students' learning, consulting from semi-structured interviews with students from 8 faculties, analyses how to improve the intrinsic motivation and 4C skills (4Cs) in the virtual e-learning community. The research method is based on the Tripartite Model of Intrinsic Motivation and explains the results from consultation. Base on the questionnaire analysis, the following results are reached: 1. The practical methods of DPC can improve the students' positive motivation;2, Learning- support in DPC is conductive to enhance 4Cs abilities;3. The teaching methods in DPC are approved by the theory of Tripartite Model of Intrinsic Motivation from Psychology. © 2022 ACM.

Attitude of Schoolchildren Towards Emergency Distance Learning: Relations with Intrinsic Motivation and School Satisfaction

The results of a study of retrospective attitudes towards distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic among secondary school students are presented (N=439, grades 5-8th). Motivational predictors of this relationship were analyzed, explaining the individual differences among schoolchildren in their preference for distance learning. With the help of structural equation modeling, it is shown that a negative attitude towards distance learning that took place in the recent past, compared to traditional learning, is associated with greater satisfaction of their basic needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness with teachers and classmates, and this relationship is mediated by intrinsic learning motivation, which, in turn, predicts attitudes towards forced distance learning, school satisfaction, and academic performance. It is shown that intrinsically motivated schoolchildren who are interested in the educational process, in general, have a negative attitude towards the forced distance learning that took place during COVID-19 pandemic and would not want it to return. © 2022 Moscow State University of Psychology and Education. All rights reserved.

Lessons Learnt from Delivering a Brief Telepsychotherapy Intervention for Covid-19 Patients and Famili Members: Between Limits and Possibilities of Novel Care Delivery Models

Introduction: The implementation of a brief tele-psychotherapy intervention for COVID-19 patients and family members by a team of psychotherapists with different orientations (psychodynamic, phenomenological, cognitive behavioral) led to a shared reflection on the possibilities as well as on the therapeutic and technical limits of this treatment. Because the brief tele-psychotherapy intervention is designed to have a targeted focus on the COVID-19 experience and how this has affected the patient's life, it allows to read COVID-19 related suffering as a guide to diagnosis: medical comorbidities and unprocessed psychological suffering interplay with the experience of COVID-19 illness - with symptomatic severity ranging from absence to hospitalization in intensive care depending on the case. The interplay among these elements produces psychopathological scenarios that are at times evident and complex, at other times apparently less serious and difficult to connect to the suffering that the patient endorses and to their COVID-19-related medical symptoms. Method(s): This work summarizes qualitative data produced by a team of ten psychotherapists involved for 18 months in a brief tele-psychotherapy service for COVID-19 patients and family members, and engaged in a weekly group supervision/ intervision experience. Result(s): The remote nature of the brief tele-psychotherapy intervention made it possible to overcome the distance caused by the barriers imposed by social isolation, and to provide psychological assistance to patients who were ill, were sheltered in place because they tested positive, were elderly at risk, or young people who lost contact with their peers. Cases in which the consequences of COVID- 19 undermined self-esteem, sleep quality, induced anxiety and depression, and emotional dysregulation have been treated with impactful Results: The brief tele-psychotherapy experience allowed patients to mitigate the risks and negative consequences of the COVID-19 experience on physical and mental health, and to restore goal-setting abilities in light of the traumatic experience. Patients in need of psychiatric assistances were referred to the relevant services thanks to an interdisciplinary network. Based on the group supervision/ intervision experience, three areas of discussion were identified: the remote nature of the setting, the relationship between illness severity and treatment seeking, and patients' intrinsic motivation towards psychotherapy. (i) Therapists with different orientations agreed that the 'remote' setting had advantages and disadvantages. The meaning of the setting encompasses symbolic aspects such as 'pre-', 'during-', and 'post'-session moments, because a well-defined place implies the presence, attention, active participation of therapist/client as well as the typical rules such as timeliness. We observed that the 'remote' setting impoverishes the shape and meaning of the typical mental and physical state associated with in-person psychotherapy, as it induces the therapist to manage the session within a client's life space-time that is very often improvised, corrupted by intermittent connectivity issues, lacking privacy or populated with unpredictable environmental circumstances. As such, the conceptual value each theoretical orientation assigns to the psychotherapeutic setting is, on all accounts, contaminated. (ii) Patients with overt traumatic experiences (long hospitalization in COVID-19 wards, intensive care units, rehabilitation facilities) responded better to CBT-oriented psychotherapy. For example, CBT initiates the therapeutic process with case formulation - which aims to describe the problems presented by the patient and to make theoretical inferences about its causes and its maintenance factors. This formulation serves as the basis of a strategically oriented psychotherapeutic intervention, and accompanies all phases of therapy until its Conclusion(s): Conversely, psychodynamic therapists read COVID-related psychopathology as a window into intrapsychic mechanisms that can hardly be orked through in the context of eight sessions. Interestingly, patients lacking frank COVID-19 related medical or psychological symptoms were those for whom a psychodynamic process seemed more indicated, in that it oriented the clinical work towards awareness building, and exploration of intrapsychic and interpersonal goals that transcended current circumstances. (iii) A third, notable point concerns patients' motivational attitudes towards therapy. Because therapists were operating in the context of a research protocol, therapy was presented as a free service that was seeking patients, rather than vice versa. Here, therapists took on an unusual role as they attempted to psychologically transform patients' availability into a request for psychological assistance, even when this was - at least in some cases - consciously absent. In such cases, the transformational processes that are typical of therapy evolved without a clear initial direction, shedding doubts on actual patients' motivation, and leading therapists to offer a final restitution that was limited to the phase of therapy during which an actual psychological goal was voiced by the patient. Conclusion(s): We illustrated the possibilities and limits of brief tele-psychotherapy with regard to the factors that are common to the various theoretical orientations. We noticed that the remote delivery alters conceptual properties, roles, and symbolic connotations of the setting. Similarly, the seek for help, often not defined, can hardly find adequate space within eight sessions, while the severity of COVID-19 related psychopathology seems to be associated with greater efficacy. Future research should examine how brief remote psychotherapy adjusts to emerging clinical difficulties, and should incorporate a prospective design to better establish causality between expected efficacy and interfering occurrences. Further examination on the mechanisms of these interferences is also needed. Ultimately, this line of research can provide precious information about the dissemination of remote tele-psychotherapy above and beyond COVID-19-related psychopathology.

Brief tele-psychotherapy for COVID-19 patients and their family members

Since the COVID-19 pandemic onset, researchers and clinicians have attempted to characterize a heterogeneous cluster of psychopathological symptoms that typically emerge when patients are no longer positive to SARS-CoV-2 infection, and can persist for weeks if not months. These symptoms include depression, anxiety, acute/posttraumatic stress, and sleep disturbances, and are frequently observed in COVID-19 patients as well as in their first-degree relatives. COVIDrelated symptomatology seems to map onto well-established psychopathological macro-areas: 1) trauma and post-traumatic symptoms, mainly for those who have experienced hospitalization or loss;2) adaptation and functional reorientation due to physical complications or sequelae;3) identity reorientation following the experience of illness/isolation/lockdown;and 4) exacerbation of premorbid psychopathological traits solicited by the COVID-19 experience. Notably, the severity of COVID-19 related psychopathology ranges from mild to more disabling conditions and seems to affect youth, adults, and elders irrespectively of the severity of the acute COVID-19 illness. Nonetheless, it unequivocally affects wellbeing, quality of life, and real-world functioning. In response to the urgent need for treatments that could be offered safely, without burdening an already strained mental health system, an interdisciplinary group of psychotherapists and researchers based in Milan, Italy has undertaken the first national attempt to create a research-informed infrastructure to study the feasibility and efficacy of a remote tele-psychotherapy free service for COVID-19 patients and their first-degree relatives. The process initially leveraged clinical experiences with COVID-19 patients and family members remotely referred to the Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico in Milan for psychological assistance from various intensive care units and hospital wards. Next, the research group reviewed the scientific literature on psychotherapeutic approaches designed to remotely treat psychopathology. The harmonization of techniques and strategies deriving from several psychotherapeutic orientations (psychodynamic therapy, constructivist therapy and hermeneutic-phenomenological therapy) culminated in the development of the first brief psychotherapy service for COVID-19 related psychopathology. The service, designed to easily integrate with the workflow of the national health system, consists of 8 remote, 50-minute, individual psychological sessions that are offered weekly using secure video conferencing software. The feasibility and evidence base for this treatment have been investigated thanks to a research project funded by Fondazione Cariplo and Regione Lombardia that has recruited as of June 2022 more than 140 participants, between COVID-19 patients and firstdegree relatives. Results from this study will be presented during the symposium and indicate that remote brief tele-psychotherapy for COVID-19 patients and their first-degree relatives is feasible and efficacious at significantly reducing anxiety, depression, post-traumatic symptoms, and sleep disturbances. Interestingly, statistical analyses suggest distinct profiles of treatment response among participants with severe COVID-19 related psychopathology, in that 25% showed full symptom remission, 48% showed partial symptom remission, and 28% showed no significant effect of treatment. 30 months after the pandemic onset, the same interdisciplinary group of psychotherapists and researchers summarizes reflections from the weekly experiences of group supervision/intervision, and offers a retrospective on the possibilities and limits of this brief tele-psychotherapy service, with an emphasis on the conceptual properties, roles, and symbolic connotations of the remote setting, and on the relationship between patients' illness severity and intrinsic motivation. Above and beyond COVID-19-related psychopathology, the novel quantitative and qualitative data presented at this symposium will provide insightful information about the implementation potent al of remote brief tele-psychotherapy - a promising treatment model that can change clinical practice, enhance cost-effectiveness, and lead to better wellbeing and quality of life for patients.

An answer to the corporate COVID-19 crisis: Examining pandemic-related internal and external corporate social responsibility and its impact on worker motivation through differential mediation pathways

As one of the most historically devastating disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic has claimed the lives of millions and led to the demise of thousands of businesses. Surviving organizations have been faced with the question of how to keep their employees motivated. This study suggests that corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives may contribute to solving this challenge. Integrating theoretical perspectives from Maslow's theory of motivation, social exchange theory, and social identity theory with previous research on CSR, this investigation develops a framework for determining whether employee perceptions of their company's internal and external CSR efforts during the coronavirus pandemic, labeled as pandemic-related internal and external CSR, are directly and significantly related to worker motivation and whether these relationships are mediated through two pathways (via basic and non-basic needs fulfillment). To test this theory-based model, survey data was collected from a sample of union members (n = 510) working within the hospitality, food service, and healthcare industries in Hawaii during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results of structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed a significant positive relationship between pandemic-related internal CSR and worker motivation, and a significant negative association between pandemic-related external CSR and worker motivation. Analysis revealed that both basic and non-basic needs fulfillment competitively mediated the relationships between these two types of pandemic-related CSR and worker motivation. No significant differences were found, however, between the total effects of pandemic-related internal and external CSR on worker motivation. By bringing to light the complexities of these relationships, this study contributes to the literature on CSR, worker motivation, and disaster management and considers managerial implications that may help businesses survive the COVID-19 pandemic and other future crises that threaten the sustainability of the global economy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Using individual characteristics and habit measures to predict meditation app use behavior

Meditation app usage is associated with decreases in stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms. Many meditation app subscribers, however, quickly abandon or reduce their app usage. This dissertation presents three manuscripts which 1) determined the behavioral, demographic, and socioeconomic factors associated with the abandonment of a meditation app, Calm, during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2) determined which participant characteristics predicted meditation app usage in the first eight weeks after subscribing, and 3) determined if changes in stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms from baseline to Week 8 predicted meditation app usage from Weeks 8-16. In Manuscript 1, a survey was distributed to Calm subscribers in March 2020 that assessed meditation app behavior and meditation habit strength, and demographic information. Cox proportional hazards regression models were estimated to assess time to app abandonment. In Manuscript 2, new Calm subscribers completed a baseline survey on participants' demographic and baseline mental health information and app usage data were collected over 8 weeks. In Manuscript 3, new Calm subscribers completed a baseline and Week 8 survey on demographic and mental health information. App usage data were collected over 16 weeks. Regression models were used to assess app usage for Manuscripts 2 and 3. Findings from Manuscript 1 suggest meditating after an existing routine decreased risk of app abandonment for pre-pandemic subscribers and for pandemic subscribers. Additionally, meditating "whenever I can" decreased risk of abandonment among pandemic subscribers. No behavioral factors were significant predictors of app abandonment among the long-term subscribers. Findings from Manuscript 2 suggest men had more days of meditation than women. Mental health diagnosis increased average daily meditation minutes. Intrinsic motivation for meditation increased the likelihood of completing any meditation session, more days with meditation sessions, and more average daily meditation minutes. Findings from Manuscript 3 suggest improvements in stress increased average daily meditation minutes. Improvements in depressive symptoms decreased daily meditation minutes. Evidence from this three-manuscript dissertation suggests meditation cue, time of day, motivation, symptom changes, and demographic and socioeconomic variables may be used to predict meditation app usage. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Incentives and Defaults Can Increase COVID-19 Vaccine Intentions and Test Demand

Willingness to vaccinate and test are critical in the COVID-19 pandemic. We study the effects of two measures to increase the support of vaccination and testing: defaults and monetary compensations. Some organizations, such as restaurants, fire departments, hospitals, or governments in some countries, have used these measures. Yet there is the concern that compensations could erode intrinsic motivation and decrease vaccination intentions. We show that, in the early stages of the pandemic, both approaches, compensations and defaults, significantly increased COVID-19 test demand and vaccine intentions. Compensations for vaccines, however, need to be large enough because low compensations can backfire. We estimate heterogeneous treatment effects to document which groups are more likely to respond to these measures. The results show that defaults and avoidance of small compensations are especially important for individuals who are more skeptical of the vaccine, measured by their trust in the vaccine and their political views. Hence, both measures could be used in a targeted manner to achieve stronger results.

The Impact of Online Learning amid COVID-19 Pandemic on Student Intrinsic Motivation and English Language Improvement

This study aims to investigate the impact of fully online learning during COVID-19 on Saudi EFL learners' intrinsic motivation and their English language improvement. It recruited 89 male and female EFL undergraduates who studied English courses at the university in the actual classroom before the pandemic and online during its outbreak. An online questionnaire was used to collect data on intrinsic motivation and English language improvement. Both the validity and reliability of the questionnaire were checked. The findings showed that the majority of the participants were highly motivated to study English online during the health crisis in question. They also reported a surge of English improvement and received the expected GPA or higher than the expected level. The finding also showed that there was a correlation between low achievement levels and nonintrinsic motivation. The study recommended using fully online learning in the future to increase EFL students' intrinsic motivation and English language improvement. © 2022 DSR Publishers/ The University of Jordan.

A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e., a controlling message) compared with no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared with the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly internalized form of motivation relying on one's core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between people's existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing. Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intention to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement Communicating in ways that motivate engagement in social distancing remains a critical global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study tested motivational qualities of messages about social distancing (those that promoted choice and agency vs. those that were forceful and shaming) in 25,718 people in 89 countries. The autonomy-supportive message decreased feelings of defying social distancing recommendations relative to the controlling message, and the controlling message increased controlled motivation, a less effective form of motivation, relative to no message. Message type did not impact intentions to socially distance, but people's existing motivations were related to intentions. Findings were generalizable across a geographically diverse sample and may inform public health communication strategies in this and future global health emergencies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

How self leadership enhances normative commitment and work performance by engaging people at work?

Leadership and its connection with social sustainability are frequently prescribed for effective management. Integrating self-leadership among the employees is an emerging area to focus on empowering an organization. The principal objective of this study was to empirically investigate the impact of self-leadership on normative commitment and work performance through the mediating role of work engagement. This phenomenon of self-leadership was explained by using the theoretical lens of the social cognitive theory and intrinsic motivation theory. Data was collected from 318 employees who worked in the telecom sector in Pakistan and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) AMOS. The findings revealed that in the presence of self-leadership, employee's work engagement, commitment to the organization, and overall work performance elevated significantly. Furthermore, the results also illustrated the occurrence of two significant mediating paths. First, the mediating role of work engagement in the relationship between self-leadership and normative commitment, and second, the mediation of work engagement in the relationship between self-leadership and work performance. The findings of the study significantly contribute practically, and theoretically to the existing literature.

Empowerment and intrinsic motivation of employees: A case study of virtual team leaders

The existing literature on intrinsic motivation and empowerment predates the increased organizational adoption of virtual work arrangements for employees in the United States of America. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift toward dispersed teams, highlighting the interest to understand whether existing literature on empowerment and intrinsic motivation still applies in virtual work settings. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the ways that virtual team leaders use empowerment to influence the intrinsic motivation of their direct-line virtual employees. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 U.S.-based virtual team leaders in mid and large-sized software organizations with at least two U.S.-based direct-line virtual employees. The study findings indicated that virtual team leaders use empowerment with their direct-line virtual employees to set expectations, provide autonomy, and encourage risk-taking. The findings also revealed that virtual team leaders believe their employees are motivated by opportunities that provide growth and learning, promote problem-solving and achievement, offer a connection to department or organizational purpose, and appeal to employees' interests. Conclusions drawn from the study underscore the need to continue research on empowerment and intrinsic motivation in various virtual contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)