San Francisco State University

About: San Francisco State University is a education organization based out in San Francisco, California, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Planet. The organization has 5669 authors who have published 11433 publications receiving 408075 citations. The organization is also known as: San Francisco State & San Francisco State Normal School.

A Model of Customer Satisfaction and Retention for Hotels

Abstract: This study was designed to assess the antecedents and consequences of customer satisfaction and retention in the hotel industry. The relationship between customer satisfaction and customer retention has been researched for many years. This study extended that research to look at the antecedent effects of customer satisfaction as well as the effect of added value and gender on customer satisfaction and customer retention, and how they relate to the intent to switch. Customer retention was operationalized in terms of loyalty and intent to switch. Customer satisfaction was operationalized in terms of hotel ambience and hospitality. A survey among hotel customers in the San Francisco Bay Area was conducted. A LISREL structural equation model with confirmatory factor analysis was developed to analyze the data. Results indicated that the latent construct customer retention was dependent on the latent construct of customer satisfaction. Added value was found to have positive effects on customer satisfac...

Gamification in the classroom: Examining the impact of gamified quizzes on student learning

Abstract: Gamification is emerging as a method aimed at enhancing instructional contents in educational settings. However, theoretical underpinnings of the proposed effects of gamification are lacking. This paper applies the theory of gamified learning and extends research exploring the benefits of gamification on student learning through the testing effect. In a quasi-experimental design, university students (N = 473) prepared for three tests using traditional quizzes (i.e., a question, four response options) or gamified online quizzes (i.e., a wager option, a progress bar, encouraging messages). We assumed that students completing gamified quizzes would complete more quizzes and, through the benefits of the testing effect, would demonstrate better learning. Findings supported the testing effect in that students who completed more quizzes performed better on subsequent tests. Furthermore, students who completed the gamified quizzes had significantly better scores on the first test. However, this effect was not due to students completing more quizzes in the gamification group. Additionally, the beneficial effect of gamification did not persist for subsequent tests. This supports that gamification might work through a novelty effect where its influence may not be sustainable. Further analyses showed that higher achieving students benefited more from gamification than lower achieving students. Overall, the results (a) imply that gamification may be a viable option for short-term assignments, (b) highlight concerns of a novelty effect possibly recommending instructors not to use the same gamification method permanently, and (c) indicate that there are contexts where gamification might not be adequate to target low achieving students. Given these results we call for longitudinal studies investigating the novelty effects of gamification and research examining individual differences moderating the effects of gamification.

Evolution of extreme specialization within a lineage of ectomycorrhizal epiparasites

Abstract: MONOTROPES (Monotropoideae, Ericaceae) are achlorophyllous, epiparasitic plants that receive all of their fixed carbon from green plants through a common ectomycorrhizal association rather than by a direct parasitic connection (Fig. 1)1,2. Using molecular identification methods we show that some monotropes are highly specific in their fungal associations and at least one species, Pterosporo andromedea is specialized on a single species group within the genus Rhizopogon. Phylogenetic analysis of the Monotropoideae shows that specialization has been derived through narrowing of fungal associations within the lineage containing P. andromedea. High specificity is contrary to past predictions for the Monotropoideae and for plant communities in general, raising many questions about the roles of mycorrhizal specificity in ecosystem function.

Multiple methods in the study of driving forces of land use and land cover change: a case study of SE Kajiado District, Kenya.

Abstract: This landscape-scale study combines analysis of multitemporal satellite imagery spanning 30 years and information from field studies extending over 25 years to assess the extent and causes of land use and land cover change in the Loitokitok area, southeast Kajiado District, Kenya. Rain fed and irrigated agriculture, livestock herding, and wildlife and tourism have all experienced rapid change in their structure, extent, and interactions over the past 30 years in response to a variety of economic, cultural, political, institutional, and demographic processes. Land use patterns and processes are explored through a complementary application of interpretation of satellite imagery and case study analysis that explicitly addresses the local–national spatial scale over a time frame appropriate to the identification of fundamental causal processes. The results illustrate that this combination provides an effective basis for describing and explaining patterns of land use and land cover change and their root causes.