The effect of professional identity on nursing academic achievement: the chain mediating effect of general self-efficacy and learning engagement.

BACKGROUND: Exploring the impact of professional identity on the academic performance of nursing students is crucial for understanding how to improve educational outcomes in this field. Professional identity not only shapes students' self-concept but also influences their motivation, commitment, and success in their studies. However, the mechanisms underlying this relationship are not fully elucidated. This study aims to examine the potential mediating roles of general self-efficacy and learning engagement in this relationship. METHODS: A total of 1097 Chinese nursing students participated in this study. They were assessed using the Professional Identity Questionnaire for Undergraduate Students, the General Self-Efficacy Scale, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students, and the College Students Academic Achievement Scale. The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation, structural equation modeling, and deviation-corrected percentile bootstrap techniques. RESULTS: (1) Professional identity (PI) was positively correlated with academic achievement (AA)(r = 0.446, P < 0.01), and the direct path of professional identity on academic achievement was significant (ß = 0.301, t = 19.816, P < 0.001). (2) Professional identity positively predicted general self-efficacy(GSE) (ß = 0.183, t = 16.427, P < 0.001) and learning engagement(LE) (ß = 0.640, t = 22.494, P < 0.001). GSE positively predicted LE(ß = 0.645, t = 9.320, P < 0.001) and AA(ß = 0.458, t = 12.376, P < 0.001). LE positively predicted AA (ß = 0.169, t = 10.877, P < 0.001). (3) GSE and LE play a significant mediating role between PI and AA. The mediating effect includes three paths: PI→GSE→AA(the mediating effect value: 0.084) and PI→LE→AA (the mediating effect value: 0.108). PI→GSE→LE→AA (the mediating effect value: 0.020). CONCLUSION: Professional identity exerts both direct and indirect influences on the academic achievement of nursing students, mediated through general self-efficacy and learning engagement. These findings underscore the importance of nurturing professional identity as a strategic approach to enhancing academic success in nursing education, providing a foundation for targeted interventions that foster personal and academic growth.

Analysis of factors influencing medical students' learning engagement and its implications for teaching work-- a network analysis perspective.

PURPOSE: Higher medical education has always been a major project in the fields of education and health, and therefore, the quality of education has received much attention. Learning engagement has emerged as a significant indicator of teaching quality, attracting considerable research attention. This study aims to explore the relationship between medical students' learning engagement and their sense of school belonging, professional identity, and academic self-efficacy. METHODS: We conducted an online survey using convenience sampling method with 311 medical students. We employed Revised version of the Utrech Work Engagement Scale-Student (UWES-S), Chinese version of the Psychological Sense of School Membership (PSSM) scale, Academic Self-Efficacy Scale, and the questionnaire of college students' speciality identity for evaluation. Network analysis was used to analyze the relationships among these factors. RESULTS: Medical students' overall performance in school showed a positive trend. However, there is still room for improvement. In the network structure of learning engagement and its influencing factors, the "emotional" aspect of professional identity (EI = 1.11) was considered to be an important node with strong centrality. And "academic competence self-efficacy" aspect of academic self-efficacy (BEI = 0.72) was considered an important node with strong transitivity. CONCLUSION: Deepening medical students' emotional identification with their profession and enhancing their confidence in their academic abilities may improve their learning engagement and educational quality.

Providing insights into health data science education through artificial intelligence.

BACKGROUND: Health Data Science (HDS) is a novel interdisciplinary field that integrates biological, clinical, and computational sciences with the aim of analysing clinical and biological data through the utilisation of computational methods. Training healthcare specialists who are knowledgeable in both health and data sciences is highly required, important, and challenging. Therefore, it is essential to analyse students' learning experiences through artificial intelligence techniques in order to provide both teachers and learners with insights about effective learning strategies and to improve existing HDS course designs. METHODS: We applied artificial intelligence methods to uncover learning tactics and strategies employed by students in an HDS massive open online course with over 3,000 students enrolled. We also used statistical tests to explore students' engagement with different resources (such as reading materials and lecture videos) and their level of engagement with various HDS topics. RESULTS: We found that students in HDS employed four learning tactics, such as actively connecting new information to their prior knowledge, taking assessments and practising programming to evaluate their understanding, collaborating with their classmates, and repeating information to memorise. Based on the employed tactics, we also found three types of learning strategies, including low engagement (Surface learners), moderate engagement (Strategic learners), and high engagement (Deep learners), which are in line with well-known educational theories. The results indicate that successful students allocate more time to practical topics, such as projects and discussions, make connections among concepts, and employ peer learning. CONCLUSIONS: We applied artificial intelligence techniques to provide new insights into HDS education. Based on the findings, we provide pedagogical suggestions not only for course designers but also for teachers and learners that have the potential to improve the learning experience of HDS students.

Nurse-led World Café approach in promoting interprofessional collaborative behaviors and learning engagement among healthcare professionals.

Effective interprofessional collaboration practice (IPCP) promotes healthcare outcomes but is often hindered by poor communication. Traditional teaching methods with limited interdisciplinary interactions may not effectively foster IPCP behaviors. This study evaluated the effectiveness of nurse-led World Cafe (NWC) approach in promoting IPCP behaviors and learning engagement. Seventy-six healthcare professionals (38 in each group) participated in this quasi-experimental study. Data were collected before, one-week, and four-week post-intervention, using Lee's (2016) Interprofessional Collaborative Practice Behavior Inventory (IPCPBI) and Ciou's (2020) Learning Engagement Scale. Five medical technologists in the control group were excluded from data analysis to ensure group equivalence. Before the intervention, there were no significant differences in IPCPBI between groups. One week post-intervention, the experimental group scored higher in IPCPBI, yet lacked statistical significance (p > .05). Four weeks post-intervention, the experimental group significantly improved in IPCPBI (p < .05). While no statistically significance was found in learning engagement between groups, the experimental group scored significantly higher in the active engagement sub-domain (p < .05). The NWC approach boosted IPCP behaviors and learning engagement, fostering a collaborative learning environment that improves outcomes through interdisciplinary interactions. Healthcare settings could benefit from adopting the NWC approach to enhance clinicians' IPCP competency.

I reflect, therefore I am!, Exploring the use of a Voluntary Online Reflective Journal as a learning tool among postgraduate dental students.

INTRODUCTION: Reflection is widely used in all aspects of teaching and learning in dental education and makes a fundamental part of all learning activities for dental students. However, reflective tasks are often used with a clear purpose; for example, in completing e-portfolios or dealing with critical incidences. This study explores the use of optional online journals that Postgraduate (PG) dental students were encouraged to use as part of their own development. AIM: To explore how PG dental students perceive the use of optional online journals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were collected via an anonymous questionnaire that included a word pool, Likert-scale statements and free text comment sections. RESULTS: Overall, 31 students (93%) responded to the questionnaire with high focus on the usefulness of the journal, with 58% selecting 'connecting with tutors' and 41% selecting 'keeping track' of their own learning and progress. The word 'reflection' was selected by 87% of participants when describing the use of the journal. Some participants, 29%, considered the journal as 'added pressure', and 41% felt it was 'extra work' as the journal, although voluntary, presented an added task to complete. All students made at least one entry in the online journal. CONCLUSION: The use of an optional online journal can be a useful tool in establishing connection between dental students and their tutors. Some postgraduate dental students valued the benefits of reflective journal without it being linked to assessments. Some concerns were reported around the time constraints as well as the added work related to taking part in such activity.

Longitudinal Associations Between Sluggish Cognitive Tempo and Academic Achievement in Adolescents: A Mediated Moderation Model.

Sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) was initially studied in the context of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but is now recognized as a distinct disorder. Despite the growing recognition of SCT, its impact on academic achievement among adolescents remains controversial, even when controlling for the level of ADHD. This may be due to the influence of other factors such as learning engagement and emotional distress. To address this gap, we conducted a longitudinal study with a sample of 782 Chinese senior high school students, measuring their SCT, learning engagement, and emotional distress at Grade 10 (Time1, T1) to predict their academic achievement evaluated based on final exams scores five months later (Time2, T2). Results showed that learning engagement mediated the negative relationship between SCT and later academic achievement. Additionally, individuals with high SCT showed less impact by emotional distress on learning engagement. These findings may shed light on the complex interplay between SCT, emotional distress and learning engagement in shaping academic achievement, underscoring the potential adaptive function of SCT as a coping strategy for managing emotional challenges.

Effectiveness and learning experience from undergraduate nursing students in surgical nursing skills course: a quasi- experimental study about blended learning.

BACKGROUND: Blended learning is increasingly being adopted, and yet a gap remains in the related literature pertaining to its skill performance, learning engagement and inner experience in undergraduate surgical nursing skills course. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the changes in skills performance and learning engagement in the application of blended learning, and what it actually brings to nursing students. DESIGN: The study uses a historical control, two-armed, mixed and quasi-experimental design. METHODS: The blended learning version of the course was offered to the 2019 class of 334 nursing undergraduates. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected after the course to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the course effects compared with the 304 nursing undergraduates of grade 2017 who adapted traditional learning. Quantitative data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics using IBM SPSS 26.0, and qualitative data were encoded using Nvivo11.0. RESULTS: There were significant differences in skill performance and learning engagement between the class of 2017 and 2019 (p < 0.001). Combined with further analysis of the interview data, 3 first-level nodes and 8 secondary nodes were determined. Students' opinions, comments and suggestions on the application of blended learning are refreshing. CONCLUSION: Moving forward with blended learning: opportunities and challenges go hand in hand. Researchers need to continually modify their research designs to respond to variable educational environments.

The mediating effects of self-directed learning ability and critical thinking ability on the relationship between learning engagement and problem-solving ability among nursing students in Southern China: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Problem-solving ability has been identified as a core competence that nursing students should develop, and it plays a vital role in career development. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate factors related to problem-solving ability and the path relationships among those factors in the context of nursing students. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to identify the factors that affect problem-solving ability, and to investigate path relationships of self-directed learning ability, critical thinking ability, learning engagement, and problem-solving ability among nursing students. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTINGS: The Department of Nursing at a university located in Shanghai, China. SAMPLE: A total of 540 nursing students with a three-year education program were enrolled in the current study. METHODS: Data were collected by using a structured questionnaire, including general information, learning engagement, self-directed learning ability, critical thinking ability, and problem-solving ability of nursing students. Pearson's correlations were used to explore the relationships between learning engagement, self-directed learning ability, critical thinking ability, and problem-solving ability. The path relationships were analyzed by constructing a structural equation model using AMOS software. RESULTS: Our results showed that learning engagement, self-directed learning ability, and critical thinking ability were positively associated with problem-solving ability. Furthermore, learning engagement did not influence problem-solving ability directly, but it affected problem-solving ability indirectly via self-directed learning ability and critical thinking ability among nursing students. Additionally, the total effects of self-directed learning (0.442) and critical thinking ability (0.581) were more prominent than learning engagement (0.361) on problem-solving ability. CONCLUSIONS: To improve the problem-solving ability of nursing students, nursing educators should develop targeted strategies to enhance learning engagement, self-directed learning ability, and critical thinking ability.

Examinations of the relationships between self-efficacy, self-regulation, teaching, cognitive presences, and learning engagement during COVID-19.

This study investigated the relationships between self-efficacy, self-regulation, and teaching presence, cognitive presence, and learning engagement during the pandemic. A total of 1435 undergraduate students in Korea completed an online survey on their learning experiences during COVID-19. The findings indicate that self-efficacy had a positive relationship with teaching presence and cognitive presence as well as self-regulation. No direct relationship between self-efficacy on learning engagement was found; however, the relationship between self-efficacy and learning engagement was fully mediated by self-regulation, teaching presence, and cognitive presence. Self-regulation had a positive relationship with both cognitive presence and learning engagement. Teaching presence had a positive impact on cognitive presence, but not on learning engagement. However, cognitive presence fully mediated the relationship between teaching presence and learning engagement. In effect, this study lends support to the significance of the role of cognitive presence in online learning.

Burden or empowerment? A double-edged sword model of the efficacy of parental involvement in the academic performance of chinese adolescents.

It has been traditionally thought that children can obtain resources that promote their academic performance through their parents' involvement. However, in reality, parents' involvement in their children's education may threaten children with an excessive academic burden. This study argues that parental involvement is both empowering and burdensome for children and proposes a model in which parental involvement is a double-edged sword. The model entails two paths, one in which learning constitutes a burden and another in which learning leads to empowerment. Based on a survey of 647 adolescents, a structural equation model is used to test this hypothesis. The results suggest that parental involvement can negatively impact academic performance because children feel more stressed as a result of the increase in academic expectations; parental involvement also has a positively impact on academic performance because of an increase in children's engagement in learning. The above results provide some practical guidance for parents' involvement in their children's education. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-023-04589-y.

Influence of OTC on OLE for college students: mediating effect of academic emotion and moderating effect of gender.

With the impact of the global epidemic, online learning has become an irreplaceable form of learning for students, and has been widely concerned by the education circles. Based on Noddings' caring theory and social role theory, A survey of 1954 college students was conducted to examine students' on-line teacher care (OTC), online academic emotion (OAE) and online learning engagement (OLE). The results of correlation analysis find that: (1) There are significant positive correlations among the three variables: OTC, OAE and OLE; (2) OAE plays a part of mediating role between OTC and OLE; (3) Gender has a significant moderating effect on the first half of the mediation path in the model of "OTC→ OAE→OLE". OTC has a significant positive predictive effect on OAE, and among them, the positive predictive effect of male college students is stronger. The conclusion of this study contributes to reveal the formation mechanism and individual differences of college students' OLE, which has reference value for the intervention of college students' OLE.

Influence of blended instruction on students' learning effectiveness: the role of Flow.

The rapid development and extensive application of information and communication technologies has facilitated blended instruction, which is regarded as the "new normal" in the field of modern education and has become the focus of academic research. This study thus explored the influencing mechanism of blended instruction on students' learning effectiveness from the perspective of complementarity and conflict with the support of flow. This study collected 349 survey data from universities in Southwest China that adopted a blended instruction mode and analyzed them using the structural equation model. The results demonstrated that complementary advantages and practical conflicts in blended instruction influenced students' flow experience during the learning process. Flow experience plays an important role in blended instruction and influences positively students' cognitive, emotional, and behavioral engagement. Learning engagement impacted positively students' learning effectiveness. In addition, self-efficacy positively moderated the relationship between students' learning engagement and learning effectiveness in blended instruction. These findings contribute to related research on blended instruction. The implications and limitations of this study are discussed.

The relationship between technology acceptance and self-regulated learning: the mediation roles of intrinsic motivation and learning engagement.

The current study assessed 495 middle school students in China using self-report questionnaires, to examine the multiple mediating effects of intrinsic motivation and learning engagement (vitality, dedication and absorption) in the relations between technology acceptance and students' self-regulated learning. The results indicated that technology acceptance had a significant impact on self-regulated learning, intrinsic motivation mediated the relations between technology acceptance and self-regulated learning, and learning engagement (vigor, dedication, and absorption) mediated the relations between technology acceptance and self- regulated learning. The findings suggested that students' perceived acceptance of technology can help them improve their ability to engage in self-regulated learning by enhancing intrinsic motivation and increasing learning engagement. The results expand our understanding of self-regulated learning for Chinese middle school students in the context of information technology, and have substantial theoretical and practical implications for educator and relevant researchers.

How proactive personality promotes online learning performance? Mediating role of multidimensional learning engagement.

Research on online learning effectiveness has experienced a shift towards focusing on learner characteristics or differences. However, little attention has been paid to learners' personality traits, especially those that highly match with the environmental characteristics of online learning. Guided by recent active learning approach and Model of student differences for learning in online education, this study adopts proactive personality (a dispositional tendency to be active, goal-oriented, and not constrained by environmental forces) as a key predictor and examines whether its relationship with online learning performance is mediated by learning engagement as a multidimensional construct. Using a multi-method approach (including self-reports, log file analysis, and content analysis), this study collected both subjective and objective measures of learning engagement from a total of n = 322 undergraduates. Results showed that proactive personality was positively associated with online learning performance. In addition, this association was mediated by all subjective and certain objective measures of learning engagement. Findings contribute to understanding the impact of proactive personality on online learning performance and the interplay of learners' individual factors and learning engagement factors in online learning environments. This study recommends promoting learning engagement to realize learners' online success, especially for those with low levels of proactive personality.

Impact of information literacy, self-directed learning skills, and academic emotions on high school students' online learning engagement: A structural equation modeling analysis.

The adoption of online learning for adolescent students accelerated with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, few studies have investigated the mechanisms influencing adolescent students' online learning engagement systematically and comprehensively. This study applied the Presage-Process-Product (3P) model of learning to investigate the direct effects of presage factors (i.e., information literacy and self-directed learning skills) and process factors (i.e., academic emotions) on high school students' online learning engagement; and the mediating role of process factors. Data from 1993 high school students in China (49.3% males and 50.7% females) were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The result showed that students' information literacy, self-directed learning skills, and positive academic emotions positively predicted their online learning engagement. Moreover, the positive impact of self-directed learning skills on students' online learning engagement was significantly and largely enhanced through the mediation effects of positive academic emotions (ß = 0.606, 95% CI = [0.544, 0.674]). Based on these results, to enhance adolescent students' online learning engagement, it is important for school administrators, teachers, and parents to improve students' information literacy, self-directed learning skills, and positive academic emotions.

Bimodal Learning Engagement Recognition from Videos in the Classroom.

Engagement plays an essential role in the learning process. Recognition of learning engagement in the classroom helps us understand the student's learning state and optimize the teaching and study processes. Traditional recognition methods such as self-report and teacher observation are time-consuming and obtrusive to satisfy the needs of large-scale classrooms. With the development of big data analysis and artificial intelligence, applying intelligent methods such as deep learning to recognize learning engagement has become the research hotspot in education. In this paper, based on non-invasive classroom videos, first, a multi-cues classroom learning engagement database was constructed. Then, we introduced the power IoU loss function to You Only Look Once version 5 (YOLOv5) to detect the students and obtained a precision of 95.4%. Finally, we designed a bimodal learning engagement recognition method based on ResNet50 and CoAtNet. Our proposed bimodal learning engagement method obtained an accuracy of 93.94% using the KNN classifier. The experimental results confirmed that the proposed method outperforms most state-of-the-art techniques.

Influences of depression, self-efficacy, and resource management on learning engagement in blended learning during COVID-19.

This study examined the structural relationships among self-efficacy, resource management, and learning engagement during the COVID-19 era based on self-regulation theory. We also investigated whether the level of depression moderates the structural relationships among the factors by comparing a non-depressed group and a moderate-to-high depressed group. This study confirmed that resource management influenced learning engagement regardless of the depression level. Self-efficacy for learning also influenced resource management. The implications of this study are that self-efficacy is a prerequisite for resource management for learning. However, the direct influences of self-efficacy on learning engagement were observed only in the non-depressed group. Self-efficacy for learning indirectly influenced learning engagement through resource management in the depressed group. The self-regulated behaviors, such as resource management should be encouraged to enhance learning engagement of depressed students. Students' depression should also be monitored on a regular basis to help improve learning engagement during as well as after the COVID-19 era.

Impact on social capital and learning engagement due to social media usage among the international students in the U.S.

International students who pursue their academic goals in United States are prone to difficulties when attempting to build social resources and adjust to the new culture. Social media is a practical means of connection due to its ease of use and accessibility. Previous research has indicated contradictory effects of social media use on academic engagement. In addition to the direct effect, this research examined social media use influences on international students' learning engagement by mediating social capital and cultural adjustment. A total of 209 international students completed a web-based survey distributed via e-mail and social media between November 2021 and May 2022. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Model. Results showed that only purposely using social media to collaborate with learning counterparts or materials directly improves international students' learning engagement. Other uses of social media (e.g., expanding new resources, solidifying close relationships) have no significant direct effects. Nonetheless, they are essential to improving levels of learning engagement via the mediation of bridging capital (social resources attributed to expanding relationships) and students' cultural adjustment in the U.S. International students' bonding capital (social resources available through trustworthy relationships) and home cultural retention showed little direct or indirect effects on learning engagement. This study recognizes the importance of social resources and cultural adjustment for international students. Also, this study provides valuable information to educators and administrators, as there is a need to identify the underlying mechanisms to contribute feasible learning intervention approaches and alleviate negative effects for international students.

Gamification and Hazard Communication in Virtual Reality: A Qualitative Study.

An effective warning attracts attention, elicits knowledge, and enables compliance behavior. Game mechanics, which are directly linked to human desires, stand out as training, evaluation, and improvement tools. Immersive virtual reality (VR) facilitates training without risk to participants, evaluates the impact of an incorrect action/decision, and creates a smart training environment. The present study analyzes the user experience in a gamified virtual environment of risks using the HTC Vive head-mounted display. The game was developed in the Unreal game engine and consisted of a walk-through maze composed of evident dangers and different signaling variables while user action data were recorded. To demonstrate which aspects provide better interaction, experience, perception and memory, three different warning configurations (dynamic, static and smart) and two different levels of danger (low and high) were presented. To properly assess the impact of the experience, we conducted a survey about personality and knowledge before and after using the game. We proceeded with the qualitative approach by using questions in a bipolar laddering assessment that was compared with the recorded data during the game. The findings indicate that when users are engaged in VR, they tend to test the consequences of their actions rather than maintaining safety. The results also reveal that textual signal variables are not accessed when users are faced with the stress factor of time. Progress is needed in implementing new technologies for warnings and advance notifications to improve the evaluation of human behavior in virtual environments of high-risk surroundings.

The influence of gratitude on learning engagement among adolescents: The multiple mediating effects of teachers' emotional support and students' basic psychological needs.

INTRODUCTION: Gratitude, a positive response to receiving a benefit, may aid adolescents' development by fostering a general sense of connectedness to others as well as a motivation to use one's strengths to broadly contribute to others. Previous studies have emphasized that gratitude is a powerful factor for learning engagement; however, the underlying mechanism that mediates this relationship remains unclear. To fill this gap, the current study aimed to explore the multiple mediating effects of students' perceived emotional support from their teachers (hereafter "teachers' emotional support") and students' basic psychological needs (hereafter "basic psychological needs") on the association between gratitude and learning engagement among Chinese adolescents. METHODS: A total of 688 Chinese junior middle school students (336 boys and 352 girls; mean age = 13.1, SD = 1.2) completed the Gratitude Questionnaire, Teachers' Emotional Support Questionnaire, Basic Need Satisfaction Scale, and Learning Engagement Scale. RESULTS: Path analysis showed that gratitude positively predicted learning engagement; the mediating roles of teachers' emotional support and basic psychological needs in the association between gratitude and learning engagement were significant. There were three mediating paths: gratitude affected learning engagement through the mediating role of teachers' emotional support; basic psychological needs; and the serial mediating role of teachers' emotional support and basic psychological needs. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that schools should pay more attention to improving teachers' emotional support to adolescents and meeting students' basic psychological needs, which would enhance the positive impact of gratitude on learning engagement.