The reciprocal relationships between meaning in life and smartphone addiction among Chinese college students: evidence from a three-wave cross-lagged panel model.

Background: Previous cross-sectional studies have shown that meaning in life (MIL) is closely associated with college students' smartphone addiction (SA), but the causal relationship between MIL and college students' SA is uncertain. Therefore, conducting a longitudinal study to explore their relationship is very necessary. Furthermore, some studies have implied possible gender differences in the relationship between MIL and SA and the relationship between SA and MIL. Therefore, it is necessary to further examine whether there are gender differences in the above relationships. Methods: The present study constructed a three-wave cross-lag panel model to explore the relationships between MIL and college students' SA. Three waves of data were collected from 705 college students (male: 338; female: 367) in China for three consecutive years, and the interval of data collection was 1 year. These college students completed the same online questionnaire regarding MIL and SA. Results: (1) The MIL of male college students was significantly stronger than that of female college students at time 1, time 2, and time 3, (2) Female college students' SA at time 1, time 2, and time 3 was more serious than that of male college students, (3) There were reciprocal relationships between MIL and college students' SA, (4) The influence of MIL on female college students' SA was significantly stronger than that of male college students, and (5) The influence of SA on female college students' MIL was significantly stronger than that of male college students. Conclusion: This study showed reciprocal relationships between MIL and SA among male college students and female college students. The findings further deepen our understanding of the relationship between MIL and SA and provide a gender perspective for preventing or intervening with college students' SA.

New evidence on technological acceptance model in preschool education: Linking project-based learning (PBL), mental health, and semi-immersive virtual reality with learning performance.

Despite significant research on student learning performance, the literature on preschool education is limited. The learning performance of different institutes in China has not been satisfactory, and students are not given enough technological resources to help them improve their learning performance. Although Chinese preschool students are active learners, their learning performance is inadequate. As a result, this research aimed to discover how project-based learning, semi-immersive virtual reality, and mental health influence learning performance. For data collection, 800 questionnaires were distributed to high schools, and 290 valid questionnaires were considered for the data analysis using Smart PLS-SEM. According to the study's findings, project-based learning is critical for improving learning performance. This study's findings are significant because they show that mental health and semi-immersive virtual reality significantly mediate the relationship between project-based learning and learning performance. The study's findings are critical for educational institutions interested in improving student performance through project-based learning opportunities. Furthermore, because it employs an innovative technology acceptance model, this study has significant practical implications for project-based learning and student learning performance.

Emotional Trajectory at Different Career Stages: Two Excellent Teachers' Stories.

The current study aimed to investigate excellent teachers' emotional journey, particularly, the trajectory of emotional experiences and emotional labor strategies at different career phases. The research used a case-study approach to explore the storied experience of two teachers (female and male) who were bestowed the Provincial Excellent Teacher Award. They were close to retirement so they could retrieve emotional experiences from across their entire career. Individual semi-structured interviews were utilized as a major data source, supplemented with relevant documentation and phone calls to achieve data triangulation. Thematic analysis was adopted to deal with data. The findings demonstrated a dynamic pattern of emotions and emotional labor, transiting from one teacher career stage to another. It was observed that the female teacher experienced mixed emotions but the male teacher had more negative emotions at the early stage. Both teachers claimed more positive emotions in the middle stage and a high level of satisfaction in the late stage. Both of them employed genuine expression and surface acting strategies in the first two stages. In the late stage, the female teacher used a combination of genuine expression and deep acting with more empathy, whilst the male teacher adopted a combination of surface acting and genuine expression aiming for a neutral atmosphere. Social values, organizational demands professional self, and gender are discussed for possibly resulting in these discrepancies.