The Relationship between Self-Confidence, Self-Efficacy, Grit, Usefulness, and Ease of Use of eLearning Platforms in Corporate Training during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This exploratory study contributes to the understanding of self-confidence as a predictor of self-efficacy, ease of use, and usefulness of eLearning platforms in corporate training. The present research explored the relationship among the employees’ beliefs regarding self-confidence, grit, ease of use, self-efficacy, and usefulness of eLearning platforms in their workplace during the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, 307 responses from Romanian employees who used eLearning platforms in corporate training (females = 60.3%, males = 39.7%, age range of less than 24 years (12.1%) to over 55 years (6.2%)) were exploited for research. Data were analyzed through a path analysis model. Results indicate that grit (i.e., consistency of interest), self-efficacy, and perceived ease of use of eLearning platforms were considerably directly influenced by the self-confidence variable. Usefulness was directly influenced by the ease of use and was indirectly influenced by self-confidence. Mediation analysis indicated that full mediation occurs only through the ease of use of eLearning platforms variable in the relationship between self-confidence and usefulness. A unit increase in self-confidence will increase the expected value of grit by 0.54 units (t = 8.39, p < 0.001), will indirectly increase the expected value of usefulness through ease of use by 0.15 units (t = 2.39, p = 0.017), and will increase the expected value of self-efficacy by 0.53 units (t = 6.26, p < 0.001). In addition, perceived ease of use of eLearning platforms in corporate training fully mediated the relationship of usefulness regressed on self-confidence (β = 0.20, t = 2.51, p = 0.012). These novel results reveal the contributions of self-confidence, consistency of interest as a grit dimension, and ease of use of eLearning platforms in predicting lifelong learning solutions, which improve business outcomes. The related investigation and consequences were further considered.

Teachers’ Burnout during COVID-19 Pandemic in Spain: Trait Emotional Intelligence and Socioemotional Competencies

“…Regarding Emotional Exhaustion, no differences were observed in this study according to gender, contrary to what was observed in previous studies [50,51], indicating that women have higher levels than men. This may be due to the fact that the context of the COVID−19 pandemic affected both genders equally in this dimension of burnout [15].…”

“…The background shows that Empathy and Prosociality play a key role in improving work performance and prevent against teacher absenteeism, which can be observed in their relationships with Professional Efficacy [49,53]. Both socioemotional competencies are essential to increase interpersonal skills at work, as well as Regulation, which is negatively related to the three dimensions of burnout, since it is a protective factor against adverse situations, as is the case of the COVID-19 pandemic [15], as well as Emotional Autonomy [42,54,55]. The role of socioemotional competencies is critical for teachers to be able to practice their profession successfully and face diverse and changing challenges both in the workplace and in daily life.…”

“…Different studies carried out on burnout syndrome in teachers establish the conjunction of different factors related to individual differences, Emotional Exhaustion caused by the increase and level of stressors such as increased deadlines, increased workload [23,24], the decrease in professional autonomy, interpersonal conflicts with co-workers and family members [25] due to the impossibility of differentiating workspace hours from leisure or rest [26,27], among others. In the educational field, teachers can go through periods of burnout due to changes in their professional conditions -as is the case of the change in circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic [15], which can cause changes in motivation, producing attrition and weakening the ability to regulate internal emotional responses [28].…”

“…In this regard, although efforts have been made to train teachers through online learning platforms, and work-family reconciliation has been [5], this modal change implied a series of challenges when developed in a hostile, complex and unprecedented context [6]. Therefore, it is necessary to develop sustainable work environments and policies, which provide well-being to teachers in different aspects (social, emotional, physical), which would be reflected not only in the improvement of their productivity-even in extreme situations, as is the case of job development during the COVID-19 pandemic [7][8][9]; it would also help to prevent pathologies associated with the teaching function, such as burnout due to prolonged exposures of stress, factors and individual characteristics [10], such as age and years of experience [11,12], gender of teachers [13,14] and poorly or unsustainable working conditions [15].…”

“…Teachers are one of the pillars of education since they play an essential role in the teaching and learning processes [17]. Contextual conditions such as unsustainable work environments [15], as well as personal characteristics, can lead to prolonged episodes of stress and exhaustion [18]. Teachers are considered to be especially vulnerable not only to physical problems, such as headaches, but also to anxiety and stress problems, which can lead to sick leave, lack of commitment and even absenteeism as consequences of burnout [19].…”