bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impacto de las nuevas tendencias tecnológicas en la organización y en los recursos humanos
Authors: Padilla Hidalgo Merridy Monserrate , Campozano Chiquito Gina Ximena , Soledispa Reyes Sara
Published: August 2021

Contexto: El presente trabajo se desarrolla para el área de Recursos Humanos de las Universidad Estatal del Sur de Manabí, con el objetivo de solidarizar al personal del área sobre el impacto de las nuevas tendencias tecnológicas en la organización y en los recursos humanos, útiles para la administración y gestión de los recursos humanos, como buenas prácticas que las empresas deben adoptar para el manejo de las personas dentro de las organizaciones. Método: Se utiliza el método descriptivo y exploratorio, centrado en el nivel en que se encuentra la unidad de Recursos Humano de la Universidad Estatal del Sur de Manabí, sobre el conocimiento y uso de las de las nuevas tendencias tecnológicas que se utilizan para obtener competitividad en la organización y en los recursos humanos. Resultados: Se identifica el impacto de las principales y nuevas tendencias del uso de las tecnologías en la administración y gestión de los recursos humanos como las mejores prácticas que las organizaciones deben adoptar para el manejo de las personas dentro de las organizaciones. Conclusiones: Se evidencia que, para concebir la competitividad, es necesario potenciar el recurso humano, para lo cual se debe partir de una visión holística fundamentada en el crecimiento y mejoramiento, donde se debe tener presente el uso de las nuevas tendencias tecnológicas, para una mejora continua que permita realizar acciones estratégicas que aumenten la competitividad de la organización; ya que el recurso actúa como filtro de otros factores productivos.
Políticas de responsabilidad social y corporativa como estrategia de fortalecimiento del GAD de Zapotillo
Authors: Zapata Ramírez María Elena , Álvarez Pincay Dewis Edwin
Published: August 2021

Contexto: Este trabajo se centra en conocer que políticas de responsabilidad social y corporativa utilizan como estrategia de fortalecimiento el Gobierno Autónomo Descentralizado del Cantón Zapotillo. Método: La investigación es de campo y la misma tiene la finalidad de establecer un acercamiento con la organización objeto de estudio, la aproximación con sus colaboradores, así como también al responsable del departamento para obtener la información suficiente de acuerdo al tema planteado para lo cual se realiza una investigación descriptiva, seguida de un análisis documental con un método inductivo – deductivo. Resultados: Se obtiene que el Gobierno Autónomo Descentralizado del cantón Zapotillo, ejecuta una política social exclusivamente para realizar actividades en beneficio de las personas con vulnerabilidad, siendo necesario la coordinación con la junta cantonal de protección de derechos y el consejo cantonal de Zapotillo, para que de una manera articulada y responsable se trabaje en los casos de atención prioritaria. Conclusiones: El Gobierno Autónomo Descentralizado del Cantón Zapotillo mediante el departamento de desarrollo social, lleva a cabo programas y proyectos suscritos mediante convenios con el Ministerio de Inclusión Económica y social como lo son el  proyecto del adulto mayor,  el programa de desarrollo infantil CDI, el proyecto de discapacidades y el proyecto de rehabilitación física, todos ellos como parte de la política de responsabilidad social y corporativa que utilizan como estrategia de fortalecimiento.
Response of People with Type 1 Diabetes for Follow Up
Authors: Ahmad Khan Sarfraz , Kamal Faiza , Arshad Rozina , Bin Younis Bilal , Ahmed Rashid
Published: August 2021

Diabetes is becoming a global epidemic. Type1 diabetes (T1DM) accounts for 3-5% of all the diabetics. As T1DMis diagnosed in childhood and adolescence, it is associated with more complications because of longer life span ofindividuals with this condition. The main objective of the study was to find out attitudes of people with type 1diabetes especially with regards to their follow up. A cross-sectional study was planned and a total of 97 people withtype 1 diabetes were included for a period of one year. To analyze the data SPSS 20.0 version was used. Resultsshowed that out of 97 people, 48 (49.5%) were male and 49 (50.5%) were female. The mean age of total type 1diabetics were 17.03±6.54 years. Mean glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was 10.59±3.09. The results revealed that45% of people showed positive attitude and 55% showed negative behavior towards follow-up. It was concludedthat overall follow up of people with type 1 diabetes was poor. It was observed that they wanted a complete cure andthis contribute to missed follow up.
Teaching and learning effective reflective practice for learning at work: Evaluating delivery and application of the STOP tool
Authors: Muscat-Inglott Matthew
Published: August 2021

This paper explores the design, delivery and evaluation of a new bespoke reflection tool for enhancing informal learning in the workplace via reflection in and on action, as part of an undergraduate reflective practice course component. The rationale underlying the tool is presented first, followed by the results of a mixed-methods study evaluating its delivery and application in practice. Although consistently overestimating their ability to do so, participants ultimately demonstrated only a moderate degree of success in their application of the tool, and experienced greater challenges applying it specifically for reflection in, as opposed to on, action. Favourable reports on the general usefulness of the tool, and various suggestions for improving it were made. The tool is finally presented as a promising resource in the context of longer-term scaffolded interventions for more effective teaching and learning of reflective practice in a wide range of higher education settings.
Programmatic assessment condensed: Introducing progress testing approaches to a single semester paramedic subject
Authors: Thompson James , Houston Donald
Published: August 2021

The paramedic profession is rapidly evolving and has witnessed significant expansion in the scope of practice and the public expectations of the paramedic role in recent years. Increasing demands for greater knowledge and skills for paramedics has implications for the university programs tasked with their pre-employment training. The certification of paramedic student knowledge typically occurs incrementally across degree programs with aggregate results used to determine student qualification. There are concerns regarding learning sustainability of this approach. The narrowed focus of assessment practices within siloed subjects often neglects the more holistic and integrated paramedic knowledge requirements. Programmatic assessment is becoming increasingly common within medical education, offering more comprehensive, longitudinal information about student knowledge, ability and progress, obtained across an entire program of study. A common instrument of programmatic assessment is the progress test, which evaluates student understanding in line with the full broad expectations of the discipline, and is administered frequently across an entire curriculum, regardless of student year level. Our project explores the development, implementation and evaluation of modified progress testing approaches within a single semester capstone undergraduate paramedic topic. We describe the first reported approaches to interpret the breadth of knowledge requirements for the discipline and prepare and validate this as a multiple-choice test instrument. We examined students at three points across the semester, twice with an identical MCQ test spaced 10 weeks apart, and finally with an oral assessment informed by student’s individual results on the second test. The changes in student performance between two MCQ tests were evaluated, as were the results of the final oral assessment. We also analysed student feedback relating to their perceptions and experiences. Mean student correct response increased by 65 percent between test 1 and 2, with substantial declines in numbers of incorrect and don’t know responses. Our results demonstrate a substantial increase in correct responses between the two tests, a high mean score in the viva, and broad agreement about the significant impact the approaches have had on learning growth.
Non-Placement WIL: The Case of an Exercise Prescription Clinic
Authors: Hodges Lynette , Martin Andrew
Published: August 2021

Universities globally have continued to strategically increase work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities for students to enhance graduate employability. However, meeting the needs of the increasing number of placements in industry settings places challenges on employers and academic programme coordinators. This paper examines an innovative teaching and learning initiative demonstrating non-placement WIL practice on-campus and online through an exercise prescription clinic (EPC). The benefits provided by these opportunities have not only been for student learning, but for clients, in particular those impacted by neurological and/or muscular skeletal problems. The development of the on-campus EPC has focused on key elements of good practice in WIL highlighted by Agnew, Pill and Orrell (2017). The recent Covid-19 pandemic and the related government restrictions have resulted in the on-campus EPC being flipped online, requiring adaptability and flexibility of both students and clients. This paper reinforces the importance of developing WIL experiences that enhance the learning outcomes for both the student and the client. It also highlights the transferability of authentic industry non-placement WIL clinical experiences for future health professionals to both on-campus and online settings, which enable students the opportunity to engage with a range of clients in a safe environment, enhancing both personal and professional learning outcomes.
Counselling Placements Caught up in the Mismatch of Standards And Realities: Lessons From COVID-19
Authors: Pelden Sonam , Banham Vicki
Published: August 2021

As the fear of mortality struck humanity, a new age dawned in the relational styles, processes, and interactions amongst people. COVID-19 has caused a major shift in the educational landscape. While most teaching and learning activities moved online, field placement units which are fully invested in industry engagement, and once highly sought, came to a dramatic pause. For students, this produced uncertainty around completion of their degrees and for institutions who became entangled in the changing requirements of accrediting bodies as they grappled with the changing landscape. Our final year counselling and psychotherapy students on placement were instructed to retreat from their placements while some ‘lucky few’ joined the drifting warriors working from the safety of their homes with their assigned agencies. Crisis and contemporary times call for openness and innovation grounded in practical wisdom. But the tyranny of COVID-19 times highlighted a growing gap between professional standards and community realities. This paper alludes to the struggles of counselling postgraduate University students on placement who are caught up in the mismatch between professional standards of accreditation bodies and the emerging community expectations and practices. It draws on literature to highlight the impact of historic controversial discourses involving online counselling and face-to-face counselling on current practices. This paper aims to reflect on lessons dispensed by COVID-19 to the professional bodies and universities in order to work together in creating innovative, non-placement work-integrated learning (WIL) practices that reflect the realities within the current landscape.
Ensuring Equitable Work-Integrated Learning Opportunities for International Students
Authors: Andrew Lesley
Published: August 2021

Ensuring equitable work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities for international students can be problematic. This position paper explores this challenge within the context of the Master of Public Health course (MPH) in Australian universities. The availability and accessibility of placement and non-placement WIL for international students are examined through a desktop audit of MPH offerings across 27 public Australian universities. These findings, interpreted through the lens of cultural, social and financial capital suggest although international students stand to benefit more from WIL than their domestic peers, their opportunity to participate is lower. The paper argues a strength-based approach is needed to mitigate this issue of inequity. Suggestions are offered to improve equity in placement and non-placement WIL for international students.
‘Putting on a Show’ Non-Placement WIL in the Performing Arts: Documenting Professional Rehearsal And Performance Using Eportfolio Reflections
Authors: Yeo Narelle , Rowley Jennifer
Published: August 2021

his study explores the utility of employing a student-created experiential narrative ePortfolio as a multi-modal tool for reflective practice in WIL. It does so by examining a case study situated within the performing arts, where WIL discourses are rarely adopted, and few examples are present in the literature. This paper introduces a circular mentoring framework that extends Kolb’s experiential learning model, whereby learning is facilitated through the interchange of roles through rehearsal and reflection. In this study, participants prepared and performed an opera in a professional venue over a five-day period of intense creative studio work. The 2017 and 2018 Inclusion Project is an innovative teaching and learning opportunity that offered authentic industry-based experience to undergraduate music students in a closely monitored, non-placement WIL setting. Participants (n=18) undertaking a semester long elective, reported their experience through online journaling in an ePortfolio allowing them to create narrative responses. A qualitative analysis using narrative inquiry on the ePortfolio reflections indicated a direct benefit for student’s career readiness as creative artists.
Projects of Consequence: Interdisciplinary WIL Projects Designed to Meet the Needs of Partners and Students
Authors: Piggott Leanne , Winchester-Seeto Theresa
Published: August 2021

The focus of this paper is the design and development of an innovative project-based work-integrated learning (WIL) course that enables undergraduate students from all faculties to work in interdisciplinary teams with partner organisations from the public, private, and community sectors. Projects are co-designed with partners interested in students from multiple disciplines bringing insights to problems that might not otherwise be resourced by their organisation. These ‘projects of consequence’ are unstructured, ambiguous and complex, requiring student teams to synthesise their different disciplinary knowledge. Student learning is supported by course curriculum design that includes proven pedagogical practices such as: ongoing feedback from partners; students working in autonomous small teams; academic supervision of teamwork; learning support before and during project work; debriefing; providing a safe, supportive space to experiment with new ideas, embracing the prospect of failure and to develop resilience; all underpinned by reflection so as to process, understand and integrate students’ experiences. The versatility of the course design was demonstrated by the rapid change from face-to-face delivery to an entirely online learning environment in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The challenges and adaptations include changes to the way student teams worked, the additional support needed by students, and adjustment in the mode of interactions with partners.
Choosing Wisely
Authors: Duckworth Angela ,   Character Lab
Published: August 2021

I was about 10 years old when my parents decided to move our family across town. Why?

I had no idea. I don't think my older brother and sister had a clue, either. The decision was announced one night at dinner and, without discussion or debate, the three of us learned that we'd be packing up our house, changing schools, and settling into a new neighborhood within the month.

As a little girl, I had very little visibility into the choices my parents made for themselves and for the family. Though my dad was happy to talk to me about chemistry and my mom would have sacrificed anything for my benefit, the process by which they arrived at life's big decisions was a mystery.

Instead of sharing their thinking, Mom and Dad would sit alone at the kitchen table, whispering to each other in Mandarin. Whether it was just easier to think in their native tongue, I don't know, but it also seemed strategic. Children were not active decision makers in our family.

As I got older, things changed. I listened to my parents debate whether to buy a new car, how they were going to vote that November, and which relative should host Thanksgiving.
The Creative Spirit
Authors: Kaufman Scott Barry ,   Columbia University
Published: August 2021

Here's a true story.

There was once a young boy who was placed into special education for
an auditory processing disorder. He was bullied, and teachers treated
him as though he was dumb. One day, a teacher questioned his placement,
inspiring him to see greater possibilities.

Moved out of special ed, the boy suddenly started doing well in
regular classes—well enough that he dreamed of studying psychology in
college. He was rejected from his top choice, but he tried to figure out
another way in. He applied to the opera department instead. He sang his
heart out. And he was admitted to the same university that had just
rejected him.

He saw not one path, but many.
Cultivating Confidence
Authors: Duckworth Angela ,   Character Lab
Published: August 2021

Where does the conviction that I can do this if I try come from?

In 1977, the psychologist Albert Bandura asserted that the most important determinant of self-efficacy is what he calls mastery experiences. After a lifetime of study, he hasn't changed his mind.

The main idea is simple: if you attempt hard things, again and again, and eventually succeed, you come to believe in your capabilities. In contrast, if you fail repeatedly, you come to believe that you can't succeed, even if you try.

The logic of mastery leading to confidence is undeniable. But it's easy to forget.

When my daughter Amanda was in seventh grade, she opted into an accelerated math class. That fall, our little house shook with her weeping and wailing as she struggled to keep up. I'm the psychologist in the family, but in this instance, everything I knew about motivation and emotion went out the window as I, like Amanda, began to believe that this math class was just too hard for her.

Instead, it was my husband, the real estate developer, who would sit next to Amanda, take out the umpteenth sheet of scrap paper, and help her. They would work through the easiest problems in the homework set, then the next easiest ones, and finally—sometimes after I'd gone to bed—the trickiest and most complex problems at the very end.
Desirable Difficulty
Authors: Duckworth Angela ,   Character Lab
Published: August 2021

When my daughter Amanda was young and still taking piano lessons, I'd half-listen from the second floor while she practiced down below.

Typically, she'd get pretty good at the opening measures of a new piece. But eventually she'd get to a part she didn't know as well. At that point, music became noise.

Involuntarily, as Amanda clawed her way through the rough bits, I winced and cringed. And I bet she did, too, particularly because trying things we can't yet do is especially effortful.

Very soon, there would be a pause. And then Amanda would begin again at the beginning—where she felt comfortable, where it was easy, where the touch of her fingers generated music instead of noise.

If I noticed that Amanda spent too much time repeating the fluid measures and not enough on what was obviously difficult for her, I'd come downstairs and, as gently as I could, prompt her to get back to the hard stuff.

Why do kids need grownups who love them to encourage them through what cognitive scientists call “desirable difficulty”?
Emotional Intelligence 101
Authors: Duckworth Angela ,   Character Lab
Published: August 2021

It's been a long day. A good day, but a long one. And I'm tired.

So, how am I feeling?

Green.

That is, on the Mood Meter developed by the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, I'd put myself in the lower-right quadrant, where emotions that are low-energy and positive are color-coded green.

Earlier in the day, right after my morning coffee, I was feeling…yellow:
high-energy and very positive about the meetings I'd scheduled and a lecture I was preparing to give to incoming students at my university.

Of course, four categories does not do justice to the many kinds of emotions each of us experiences in a lifetime, or even in a single day. There are nuanced differences between feeling serene versus satisfied (both green), or furious versus frightened (both red, high-energy and negative).

But when you're a rookie at emotional intelligence, the four quadrants defined by energy (high or low) and valence (positive or negative) are a great way to begin to recognize how you're feeling from moment to moment.
Gauging Your Gratitude
Authors: Duckworth Angela ,   Character Lab
Published: August 2021

How are you?

Let me be more specific. How grateful are you right now?

Consider the last 24 hours: How many of these statements are true?

I said “thank you” to someone.
I did something nice to show my appreciation.
I can list lots of people and things that I'm lucky to have in my life.
I noticed when someone helped me.
I felt a sense of thankfulness.
Me? I scored three out of five. Moderately grateful.

To the first three items: yes, yes, yes. Just before dinner, I thanked my daughter Lucy for giving the pot on the stove a stir. I bought a holiday gift for someone who helped me troubleshoot a computer problem. Without hesitation, I can list lots of people and things I'm lucky to have in my life.

But did I notice when someone helped me? When I replay my day, I realize there were plenty of occasions when I was being helped—but in the moment, I didn't pause and think, “Hey, what a nice thing for you to do!”

And can I say that I felt a general sense of thankfulness? My mom likes to say that gratitude is when your cup runs over with what others have done for you. Maybe I should have, but no, I don't recall feeling particularly appreciative in the last day or so.
Gratitude Nudge
Authors: Duckworth Angela ,   Character Lab
Published: August 2021

“Write your thank you notes! Don't forget!”

When my girls were younger, I'd nag them this way, probably spoiling some of the fun of getting gifts and certainly spoiling my own mood if, as it often happened, there ensued days of procrastination before those notes finally went into the mail.

How do we get our kids to express gratitude?

There's got to be a better technique than constant reminders, most of them ignored.

This year's Nobel laureate in economics, Richard Thaler, has an idea that might help. People want to do things that are good for themselves and for other people. But alas, most of us are lazy. We're also forgetful.

“Yeah, yeah, Mom. I'll write the notes later.”

The problem with later is that, by then, our good intentions have evaporated.
Imitation Is Inspiration: Copy-paste your way to success
Authors:   Character Lab, Duckworth Angela
Published: August 2021

I believe in personality plagiarism. Why? Because imitation is not only the highest form of flattery, it’s also one of the fastest forms of learning. For example, before writing my first scientific paper, I made a small pile of published articles that were especially lucid and compelling. Then I reread them.
Keep Your Distance
Authors: Boardman Dr. Samantha ,   Weill Cornell Medical College
Published: August 2021

Dr. Samantha Boardman shares her tip of the week, an adaptation of a piece she wrote recently for her Positive Prescription website.

As a psychiatrist, I recognize how valuable everyday interactions are for mental health. We are deeply social creatures who need others as much as we need air to breathe. People who spend more time with others each day are happier and healthier than those who are less sociable. And connecting with friends and family usually means doing so in person.

But not now.

Today, I implore you to keep your distance. Please don't visit your parents. Skip playdates and dinner parties. Work from home if you can. Do your part to curb the spread of coronavirus in the community. Social distancing might be inconvenient, but someone else's life may depend on it.

It feels strange endorsing social distancing when so much of our well-being depends on social connection. But seeing the inventive ways people are staying in touch gives me hope. A video of quarantined neighbors in Siena singing a popular Italian song from their balconies and waving at one another reminds us that we are not alone.
Know Thyself
Authors: Duckworth Angela ,   Character Lab
Published: August 2021

In my first year as an assistant professor, I commuted to and from campus on the regional rail.

In the mornings, as I walked from the train station to the office, I planned my day by making a to-do list in my head: the scientific journals I would read, the papers I would write, and—most important—the piercing flashes of insight I would have about human nature.

Each evening, I walked back to the station, again ticking through my mental checklist, but this time sizing up my performance against the expectations I had set for myself that morning.

As the months passed, I realized that the grace period when I could call myself a rookie was evaporating. And that terrified me. Because time and again, when comparing my to-do list with my got-done list, I was falling short. And each night, as I trudged back to the station, I ruminated about my lack of progress.

But then something very strange happened. At the midpoint in my commute, without any conscious intent, my thoughts began to shift. Instead of cursing my weaknesses, I thought, and even said aloud sometimes, very softly: I'm a nice person. I'm a nice person. I'm a nice person.

By the time I boarded my train, I was done with my little mantra—until the next day when I walked home. After inventorying my failures, I'd repeat: I'm a nice person.
Let Teens Sleep In
Authors: Duckworth Angela ,   Character Lab
Published: August 2021

Last month, I wrote about the different ways that self-control strategies can help all of us, especially the teenagers in our lives, sleep better. I hope these tips have helped you make progress on your own New Year's resolutions. But self-control isn't the only way to fight temptation. Sometimes, the smartest solution is for other people to solve our problems for us. In particular, one policy change could radically increase the amount of time teenagers sleep: delay the start time of classes to an hour that more closely fits their biological clocks. A recent Rand report concluded that starting both middle and high school classes no earlier than 8:30 a.m. would translate into $8.6 billion in economic gains within two years of the change. How so? Adequate sleep can improve academic achievement, which correlates with higher income in adulthood. And more well-rested teenagers get into fewer car accidents. Like so many common sense policies, delaying start times for high school students has met with resistance. One issue is budget: for many districts, it's necessary to stagger bus schedules to save money. True, but why not flip-flop times so that elementary school students—who are natural morning larks—are picked up earlier, making it possible for middle and high school students—who are natural night owls—to go later? “Well, I don't love the idea of my 11-year-old waiting for the bus in the dark,” one mom told me. Her district had just announced precisely the sort of transportation schedule I'm describing.
Life, Unplugged
Authors: Duckworth Angela ,   Character Lab
Published: August 2021

A year ago, I wrote
about my friend Tiffany Shlain and her genius idea of a Tech Shabbat:
every week, from Friday night to Saturday night, her family turns off
all screens—cellphones, TVs, computers.

As Tiffany recounts in her new book, 24/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week,
the idea for riffing on the tradition of the sabbath came during a time
of grief. Her father was dying, and it struck Tiffany as obvious that
you don't check your texts when you're spending precious moments with a
loved one.

It has been nearly a decade since Tiffany, her husband, and their two
girls (now ages 16 and 10) have been observing Tech Shabbats. Last
weekend, my friend Michelle and I decided to give it a try.

Michelle planned ahead. On Friday afternoon, she sent preemptive
emails warning coworkers that she'd be unplugged for 24 hours. “If you
need me, call my landline,” she instructed her closest friends. She
printed out directions to a restaurant where she and her husband Jon had
reservations that night.
Myth of the Lazy Genius
Authors: Cimpian Andrei ,   New York University
Published: August 2021

Today, I've asked Andrei Cimpian to share his tip of the week.

Let's play a game. Close your eyes and think of a young person in
your life who has a lot of intellectual potential but hasn't lived up to
it because of a lackluster work ethic. 

Now, think of another young person who maybe isn't as gifted but has accomplished a lot because of sheer determination. 

Got them picked out?

If I were to guess, I'd say you probably
came up with a boy for the first example (the “lazy genius”) and a girl
for the second (the “striver”). Just think of the Harry Potter series.
Harry was born with great magical powers, which enabled him to defeat
the villain even though he didn't spend much time studying at wizard
school (and had the middling grades to show for it). In contrast, his
female friend Hermione was very, very studious—yet, her magic powers
were only those of a sidekick.
Naive Realism
Authors: Duckworth Angela ,   Character Lab
Published: August 2021

“You're so naive!”

My dad was red as a beet and, every few minutes, slamming his hand
down on the table, making the silverware jump and the water glasses
shake.

What his opponent—Phil, a close friend's father—had to say in response, I don't remember.

But I do recall that they were debating politics. Shouting would be a
more accurate term. My dad, the conservative, was quite sure that Phil,
the liberal, had never spent a day “in the real world.” Presumably,
Phil made an emphatic case that my father would hold different views had
he just a shred of empathy for the less fortunate.
Nature versus Nurture
Authors: Duckworth Angela ,   Character Lab
Published: August 2021

“Is it nature or nurture?”

I'm asked this question more often than any other, particularly when
it comes to grit. But the question also applies to intelligence,
extraversion, and pretty much every other way we might describe
ourselves.

The nature-versus-nurture debate isn't just a matter of philosophical
curiosity. We want to know what we can change and what we can't.

Alas, a complete answer to this simple question is, well, complex.

But let's begin at the beginning. I have a one-word, one-syllable, scientifically correct response.

Is grit inherited, or is grit learned? Yes.
Oh, the Places You'll Go
Authors: Duckworth Angela ,   Character Lab
Published: August 2021

One day, years ago, I was on a cross-country flight with my mother.

A distinguished-looking gentleman across the aisle from us was fiddling with his digital watch.

After watching him struggle for a few minutes, my mom asked if she could help.

“Well, if you've got teeny tiny fingers, sure,” he said, handing over
the watch. “I want to move it forward an hour for the new time zone.”

My mother took it, then reached into her seat pocket and pulled out
the motion sickness bag. She ripped off the part you fold down when the
bag is full and stripped away everything but the thin wire inside. In a
matter of seconds, she handed back the watch, the time now fixed.

Both the stranger and I were amazed. It's not every day that someone
MacGyvers your electronics with, of all things, an airplane barf bag.

But then, my mom doesn't have an everyday mind.
Oops!
Authors: Eskreis-Winkler Lauren ,   Northwestern University
Published: August 2021

How many times have you heard that failure is a “teachable moment”? That you learn more from failure than success? In a 2017 commencement speech,
U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts actually wished the
graduating class “bad luck,” so they'd have something to learn from. 

Yet my colleague Ayelet Fishbach and I find that failure has the opposite effect: It thwarts learning. In a recent study,
we presented over 300 telemarketers with a quiz. The telemarketers
answered 10 questions on customer service, each with two possible
responses (i.e., “How many dollars do U.S. companies spend on customer
service each year?” The answer choices: 60 billion or 90 billion). 

The telemarketers received success feedback on questions they guessed
right (“You are correct!”) and failure feedback on the ones they
guessed wrong (“You are incorrect!”). However, since each question had
just two options, they could have learned the right answer from success or failure.
Paying it Forward
Authors: Duckworth Angela ,   Character Lab
Published: August 2021

Think of a person in your life you're grateful for—why are you grateful for them?

This is a standard prompt for one of the oldest and most reliable gratitude interventions ever studied: the gratitude journal.

A few years ago, right around the holidays, journalist Barbara Ehrenreich wrote a New York Times op-ed
declaiming the perils of gratitude journals, gratitude letters, and
other exercises designed to strengthen your appreciation muscle.

“All you have to do is to generate, within yourself, the good
feelings associated with gratitude, and then bask in its warm,
comforting glow,” Ehrenreich observed, skeptically. “If there is any
loving involved in this, it is self-love….”

New research shows that, in fact, the emotional experience of gratitude is complex.
Preach What You Practice
Authors: Duckworth Angela ,   Character Lab
Published: August 2021

Every parent and teacher is a role model.

I'm no exception, and this weighty responsibility got me wondering: does it really matter what we say to our kids—or is our only job to act on
our values? For instance, do we really need to talk to our kids about
the value of hard work if, on a daily basis, we model a solid work
ethic?

Some argue that when it comes to helping young people develop character, modeling is all-important. Indeed, scientific research
shows that young people learn a lot about how to act in new situations
from watching the adults around them, and that tendency continues
through adulthood.
Risky Business
Authors: Moore Don ,   University of California at Berkeley
Published: August 2021

The global pandemic has transformed everyday life into a series of
decisions about risk. I have a friend who, in the month after San
Francisco issued its order to shelter in place, was too scared to leave
his small apartment except to take two short walks.

He's not alone. The possibility of contracting Covid-19 is
terrifying. But if the fear leads my friend to hide at home for a year
or more without going out, that will probably be an overreaction.

People are often systematically underconfident and don't take chances
that would be successful. We may stay home when it's safe to go outside
(provided we maintain a safe distance from others, wear a mask, and so
forth). Likewise, post-pandemic, we may decline to talk to strangers
who might turn into friends or avoid investments that could pay off
handsomely. Our children may avoid entering an essay contest or decline a
more challenging math class, either because they lowball their odds of
succeeding or exaggerate the consequences of failing.
Rituals as Resets
Authors: Duckworth Angela ,   Character Lab
Published: August 2021

Growing up, I was as excited to see the Sunday newspaper grow thick
with back-to-school advertisements as to watch the trees in our backyard
erupt into majestic oranges and golds.

Perhaps it's my South Jersey heritage (Exit 4 off the New Jersey
Turnpike, to be precise, land of wall-to-wall carpeting, food courts,
and mall culture). For me, back-to-school shopping is among the fondest
of childhood memories.

My usually thrifty parents not only approved the purchase of new
not-yet-on-sale clothes for the first day of school, but also schlepped
back and forth to the Cherry Hill Mall so that I could pick out the
perfect outfit. They were generous when it came to stocking up on school
supplies, too—usually a glossy new three-ring Trapper Keeper binder,
spiral notebooks, and pens and pencils I probably didn't need but felt
compelled to buy anyway.
Self-Monitoring
Authors: Duckworth Angela ,   Character Lab
Published: August 2021

Once you've set out to achieve a goal and made a plan specifying when, where, and how to do so, what comes next?

Well, quite obviously, you enact your plan. You do what you said you'd do.

Or you don't.

In fact, the plans of even the most capable adults and children
rarely proceed exactly as expected. This is why there are age-old
expressions about how the best-laid plans of mice and men frequently go
awry.

Say, for example, I don't end up going to the gym three weekday
mornings every week. What now? Do I give up on my exercise goal
entirely? Do I conclude that planning is futile?

Let me suggest that noticing that your plan needs revision is itself a
victory. If you know you're not making progress—either on your planned
behavior or the outcome it was intended to bring about—you're at least
keeping your eye on the ball. Kudos!
Situation Modification
Authors: Duckworth Angela ,   Character Lab
Published: August 2021

This year, I am fulfilling my lifelong dream of giving out full-size
candy bars to trick-or-treaters on Halloween. I don't have a bucket
list, but if I did, this would be on it.

At this very moment, on a very high shelf in our basement, in a large
cardboard box sealed with duct tape, sit dozens and dozens of Hershey
bars, Reese's peanut butter cups, Kit Kats, M&Ms, and Snickers.

Why hide away this glorious bounty? Why not double the joy of anticipation by leaving the candy out in plain view?

My guess is that you know exactly why I've stashed away the goodies.
And you're right. Hiding Halloween treats where we cannot see them is a
clever self-control trick.
As the old saying goes, what's out of sight is out of mind. In the
scientific literature, the technique is called situation modification.
Situations Are Objective
Authors: Duckworth Angela ,   Character Lab
Published: August 2021

Modern life does not favor sleep.

I don't need to be told that my “future self” would be happier the
next morning if, at 10 p.m., I closed my laptop, strode past the pile of
unopened mail, and marched straight upstairs to get ready for bed.

Unfortunately, my “present self” would rather reply to one more
email, pay the bills, and otherwise stretch the day just a moment
longer, and then another…until suddenly, it's an hour past my bedtime.

For much of human history, nocturnal productivity was not an option.
Before the invention of the lightbulb, cycles of light and dark more or
less followed the rising and setting of the sun.

Now, we can stay up as long as we'd like. In fact, the blue light
emitted by most of the screens we stare into for much of our waking
hours suppresses the secretion of melatonin. In other words, our devices
are not only a diversion, but they also keep us alert much later than
is healthy.
Social Media and Well-Being
Authors: Duckworth Angela ,   Character Lab
Published: August 2021

Recently, a friend of mine was surprised to discover the Instagram
app on his cellphone. He soon learned that his teenage daughter had lost
her phone and, even before figuring out how to get a new one, installed
the app on his phone as a stop-gap solution.

Having his phone appropriated in this way emboldened my friend to
open the app and see what was going on in the social media universe his
daughter seemed to prefer, vastly, to reality.
The Soul of Empathy
Authors: Duckworth Angela ,   Character Lab
Published: August 2021

After I buckle my seatbelt and open a book, waiting for the captain
to announce our departure, a flight attendant walks down the aisle and,
to my surprise, plops down into the open seat next to me.

“I'm flying home,” she explains. “Sometimes my route doesn't take me
back, so the airline flies me on the next available flight.”

A few minutes later, our actual flight attendant approaches and asks
if we'd like anything to drink. When he returns with my order, I say,
absently, “Thank you.”

But when my seatmate's order comes, she looks the flight attendant in the eye, smiles, and says, “Thank you so much.”

Maybe they know each other, I think. But as the flight progresses, it
becomes obvious that they are no more acquainted than she and I.
Step Outside
Authors: Duckworth Angela ,   Character Lab
Published: August 2021

What's one thing you hope the young people in your life do this summer?

I recently asked a version of this question to the grandfather of one of my students. 

Without hesitation, he leaned forward and said with conviction, “I'd say, get off those screens!” 

I couldn't agree more. 

Come September, what will young people look back on the summer and
remember? Will their highlight reel be an endless stretch of mornings,
afternoons, and evenings in their bedroom, faces down, staring into
their phones? For too many students, this has been a necessary reality
for more than a year.
Take Notice
Authors: Langer Ellen ,   University of Pennsylvania
Published: August 2021

I was once at a horse show, and a man asked if I'd watch his horse while he went to get it a hot dog. 

I scoffed. I have a PhD. My whole life, I had been a straight-A
student. I even memorized what was underneath the pictures in textbooks
to ensure getting my A's. If there was one thing I knew, it was that
horses are herbivores. A hot dog? Pshaw.

He returned, presented the hot dog on his palm, and to my surprise,
the horse ate it. It was at that moment that I realized everything I
knew could be wrong.

From where did my mindlessness derive? I think it all went back to
middle school. Memorization and the teaching of absolutes (horses don't
eat meat) can lead to mindlessness.
The Parenting Trap
Authors: Finkel Eli ,   Northwestern University
Published: August 2021

Generations ago, parents profited off their children.

Family farms needed every helping hand, no matter how tiny. But as
small-scale agricultural production gave way to corporate wage labor,
intergenerational wealth flowed in reverse. And the changing relations
between parents and their children extended beyond the financial—as
children became economically useless, observes sociologist Viviana
Zelizer, they also became emotionally priceless.

Today, we dedicate ourselves to our children's cognitive and
emotional well-being in ways that would have bewildered our ancestors.
We attend their recitals and ballgames. We serve as chauffeurs to glean
extra quality time with them. We feel guilty when work interferes with
family dinner. Such tendencies are especially strong among the most
educated, but the less educated exhibit them, too.
The Peak-End Rule
Authors: Duckworth Angela ,   Character Lab
Published: August 2021

Even now, I have vivid memories of my last day of high school. Do you?

In my mind's eye, I'm cleaning out my locker, then staring at the
emptiness for a few extra beats before slamming it shut for the last
time. I'm roaming the halls with my best friend, blissfully ignoring the
bells going off every 50 minutes on schedule because, just today, we're
allowed to break the rules. I'm sitting on my desk, swinging my feet,
and shooting the breeze with my English teacher Mr. Carr in a way that
makes me feel almost grown up.

It's maybe my favorite day of the whole year. And like the final
layer of watercolor, the freedom and lightness I feel seeps into the
rest of my memories of that day and turns them just a shade rosier.

If the school year hasn't yet ended for your kids, consider what you can do to make the finale count. Why?
The Power of Questions
Authors: Duckworth Angela ,   Character Lab
Published: August 2021

When our oldest, Amanda, was just a baby, she'd stand on her tiptoes
in her crib, hold on to its side with one hand and, with the other,
point to various objects in the room and demand, “Whazzat?”

“What's that?” I'd repeat, following her gaze. “Oh, that's your closet, Amanda!

Whazzat?

That's your Big Duck!

That's Mommy!

That's Daddy!

On and on the game would go, with Amanda's refrain never changing,
never tiring, and my husband, Jason, and I following her gaze and then
supplying an answer.
The Stories We Tell
Authors: Duckworth Angela ,   Character Lab
Published: August 2021

Last week, I told you about my daughter Amanda's first experience with “hard math.” 

My guess is that the young people in your life have their own stories
to share. No doubt they have struggled and failed at something
important to them. Surely they have stories of success, too—perhaps, as
it was for Amanda, following a dark period when self-efficacy was at a
low point.

If, as four decades of research have shown, self-efficacy grows with small wins, does anything turbocharge such learning? 

A recent experiment supported by Character Lab suggests that experience is an even better teacher when followed by writing.
Students spent 15 to 20 minutes writing about a time they failed, and
at least one way this failure changed them for the better, as well as a
time they succeeded, and the steps they took to “make this success a
reality.” Compared to a control group, the students who did this writing
exercise demonstrated greater academic persistence, which in turn
predicted better grades the following marking period.
The Why of Education
Authors: Duckworth Angela ,   Character Lab
Published: August 2021

What do we hope for when we send children to school? 

This is the question Martin Luther King, Jr. posed in an essay entitled “The Purpose of Education,” published in the Morehouse student newspaper around the time of his 18th birthday.

King's answer: “Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.”

But what, then, is character?

This is the question child psychologist Diana Baumrind addressed, toward the end of an illustrious career, in an essay entitled “Reflections on Character and Competence.”  

Character, Baumrind writes, “provides the structure of internal law
that governs inner thoughts and volitions subject to the agent's control
under the jurisdiction of conscience.”
Think it, Do it
Authors: Duckworth Angela ,   Character Lab
Published: August 2021

David Fajgenbaum didn't die. He thought he would. He almost did.

But he didn't.

What almost killed him was Castleman disease, an immune disorder so
rare that David, a medical student when the symptoms first appeared, had
never heard of it.

Pondering his mortality at close range, David realized his greatest
regrets in life were not what he'd done wrong, but rather, what he hadn't done at all:

“When you're dying—or at least when I was dying—these memories become
quite insignificant. It's the absence of memories that you wish you had
made—and the realization that you'll never get the chance to make
them—that coalesce into a horribly vivid pit of regret in your stomach.”
Tough Teachers
Authors: Duckworth Angela ,   Character Lab
Published: August 2021

Mrs. Farren was the eighth grade English teacher no one wanted. 

We all hoped to get the other one—a teacher whose name, likeness, and qualities I can't recall in the least.  

Because, as luck would have it, it was my lot to spend a year with Mrs. Farren. 

And it was a long year. The moment you crossed the threshold of her
classroom—a pristine palace where not a pencil was out of place—your heart started beating faster. 

Was it fear? Not exactly. But it was most certainly an awareness that
what you were about to experience—50 minutes of English class—was going
to be very, very hard.