Strengthened belief in vaccine effectiveness predicted increased COVID-19 vaccination intention and behaviour: Results from a nationally representative longitudinal survey of U.S. adults from July 2020 to April/May 2021.

Vaccine hesitancy remains a major barrier to ending the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States (U.S.) and an important target for communication interventions. Using longitudinal survey data, we examined whether baseline levels and changes in beliefs about the COVID-19 vaccines predicted change in vaccination intention/behaviour. Repeated measures were collected from a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults (n = 665) in July 2020 and April/June 2021. Linear regressions associated change in COVID-19 vaccination intention/behaviour with changes in beliefs about the COVID-19 vaccines' safety, effectiveness in protecting others from infection, and effectiveness in protecting oneself from infection. Changes in beliefs from T1 to T2 were significantly associated with change in vaccination outcomes for all belief types (safety B = 0.39, SE = 0.07; effectiveness for self B = 0.38, SE = 0.09; effectiveness for others B = 0.43, SE = 0.07). Cross-lagged models suggested a reciprocal causal relationship between pro-vaccine beliefs and vaccination intention/behaviour: Intention to get vaccinated at T1 predicted strengthened safety and effectiveness beliefs at T2. T1 effectiveness beliefs predicted T2 vaccination intention/behaviour, though T1 safety beliefs did not. Communication interventions highlighting the protective benefits of COVID-19 vaccines may be particularly successful in reducing vaccine hesitancy.

The Effect of Accuracy Instructions on Coronavirus-Related Belief Change Following Conversational Interactions

In a high-risk environment, such as during an epidemic, people are exposed to a large amount of information, both accurate and inaccurate. Following exposure, they typically discuss the information with each other. Here, we assess the effects of such conversations on beliefs. A sample of 126 M-Turk participants rated the accuracy of a set of COVID-19 statements, including accurate information, inaccurate information, and conspiracy theories (pre-test). They were then paired and asked to discuss these statements (low epistemic condition) or to discuss only the statements they thought were accurate (high epistemic condition). Finally, they rated the accuracy of the initial statements again (post-test). We do not find an effect of the epistemic condition on belief change. However, we find that individuals are sensitive to their conversational partners and change their beliefs according to their partners? conveyed beliefs. In exploratory analyses, we report predictors of believing COVID-19 conspiracies. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Understanding EFL university teachers’ synchronous online teaching belief change

To sustain students’ continuous learning in a Covid-19 pandemic context, schools and universities have shifted traditional classroom teaching to synchronous online teaching. However, there is limited understanding of acceptance and adoption of synchronous online teaching by university teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL). This study, therefore, examined EFL university teachers’ synchronous online teaching beliefs before and after the outbreak of Covid-19 in China drawing on Davis’s technology acceptance model. A total of 257 EFL university teachers participated in this study. Data were collected through a questionnaire which was designed to measure participants’ actual use (AU), attitudes toward use (ATU), perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEU), facilitating conditions (FC), social norms (SN), and self-efficacy (SE) in two synchronous online teaching conditions: before and after the Covid-19. The study showed that in-service EFL university teachers’ actual use of synchronous online teaching was subject to social (i.e. social norms), institutional (i.e. facilitating conditions), and individual (i.e. perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, self-efficacy, and attitudes toward use) levels. The main change of teachers’ synchronous online teaching beliefs, due to the Covid-19, was that perceived usefulness became a significant predictor of teachers’ actual use of synchronous online teaching, whereas perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness changed to be insignificant predictors of teachers’ attitudes toward use of synchronous online teaching. Implications for teacher training and service were discussed to better support EFL university teachers’ synchronous online teaching in the future. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Language Teaching Research is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)