Structural modeling of Chinese students' academic achievement identity and basic psychological needs: do academic self-efficacy, and mindfulness play a mediating role?

BACKGROUND: Mindfulness and academic self-efficacy were proposed as mediating variables, with successful academic identity as an exogenous variable. The backdrop for this research centers on the significance of psychological factors in shaping academic identity among first-grade high school students. OBJECTIVES: The primary aim of the research was to investigate the relationship between fundamental psychological needs, mindfulness, academic self-efficacy, and successful academic identity. Specifically, the study explored the direct and indirect impacts of basic psychological needs on successful academic identity mediated by mindfulness and academic self-efficacy. METHOD: The research employed a descriptive method, utilizing correlational studies and structural equation modeling. A sample of 355 undergraduate students at Henan Judicial Police Vocational College, Henan, China, was randomly selected through multistage cluster sampling. Data were collected using established scales, including the Basic Psychological Needs Scale, Baer Mindfulness Scale, Jenkins and Morgan Academic Self-Efficacy Scale, and Vas and Isakson Successful Academic Identity Scale. The data analysis was conducted using AMOS 22 software. FINDINGS: The research findings revealed that fundamental psychological needs directly and indirectly significantly impact successful academic identity. Mindfulness played a mediating role in this relationship. However, academic self-efficacy did not considerably mediate the influence of fundamental psychological needs on successful academic identity (p > 0.05). These results highlight the complex dynamics between psychological needs, mindfulness, academic self-efficacy, and successful academic identity among high school students in the specified academic year. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest targeted interventions, such as workshops for families and teachers to address basic needs and psychologist and school counselor interventions to increase mindfulness. Additionally, organizing educational classes is imperative for fostering a supportive environment conducive to successful academic identity among undergraduate students.

Effectiveness of a Brief Online Mindfulness-Based Intervention for University Students.

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a dramatic increase in Web-based education, lacking face-to-face student-teacher and student-student interaction, and consequently impairing students' sense of belonging to a community, interoceptive awareness, and academic self-efficacy. This study examined how a brief mindfulness-based intervention in an online university course can be effective in enhancing attention resources, developing a stronger sense of academic self-efficacy, and improving the sense of belonging to a community, which represent critical factors affecting students' participation in online and blended courses. Method: Four-hundred and eighty-six participants (Mage 22.88) completed a battery of measures at pre- and post-treatment. One class (experimental group) participated in a brief online mindfulness-based intervention (42%), whereas the other one (control group) did not take part in the intervention (58%). The intervention included breathing meditation at the beginning of class, sharing of experiences, mini-lectures on mindfulness, and daily practice, and lasted for 28 consecutive days. Results: Participants in the experimental group when compared to controls showed a significant increase in the feeling of influencing the course activities (F = 9.628; p < 0.005), in the self-regulation of attention (F = 19.133; p < 0.001), in academic self-efficacy (F = 9.220; p < 0.005), and, particularly, in their self-efficacy in regulating learning (F = 12.942; p < 0.001). The students' adherence to the assigned practice could partially explain the effectiveness of the intervention. Conclusions: This study offers useful clues about the effectiveness of mindfulness interventions in the classroom in enhancing sense of belonging to a community, attention grounded in bodily sensations, and academic self-efficacy. Preregistration: This study is not preregistered.

Psychological distress and academic self-efficacy of nursing undergraduates under the normalization of COVID-19: multiple mediating roles of social support and mindfulness.

BACKGROUND: Nursing undergraduates' academic self-efficacy is a significant factor in determining their learning motivation, cognition, and emotions. It has a significant impact on improving academic performance and achieving learning goals. METHODS: To explore the mechanism of psychological distress affecting the academic self-efficacy of nursing undergraduates, the generalized anxiety disorder scale-7, patient health questionnaire-9, academic self-efficacy scale, perceived social support scale and mindful attention awareness scale were conducted. RESULTS: Model fitness indexes of the structural equation model is good (CMIN/DF = 1.404, RMSEA = 0.042, GFI = 0.977, IFI = 0.977, TLI = 0.954, CFI = 0.975, NFI = 0.923). Structural equation model analysis showed that social support and mindfulness were the mediating variables of psychological distress on academic self-efficacy. Mediating variables accounted for 44% of the total effect value (- 0.3) with a value of - 0.132. Three paths were verified: psychological distress indirectly affected academic self-efficacy through social support (- 0.064); psychological distress indirectly affected academic self-efficacy through mindfulness (- 0.053); psychological distress indirectly affected academic self-efficacy through social support and mindfulness (- 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: Social support and mindfulness play significant mediating roles in the effect of psychological distress on academic self-efficacy, and the chain mediating role of social support and mindfulness is also significant. Educators may mitigate the impact of psychological distress on academic self-efficacy by enhancing students' social support and mindfulness.

The effect of sense of coherence on mindful attention awareness and academic self-efficacy in nursing students.

AIM: This research was conducted as a descriptive relational study to determine the effect of sense of coherence on mindful attention awareness and academic self-efficacy of nursing students. METHOD: The study was conducted with 410 students who were studying at the Faculty of Health Sciences of a university, who met the inclusion criteria and agreed to participate in the study. Introductory Information Form, Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC-13), Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) and Academic Self-Efficacy Scale (ASES) were used to collect data. Ethics committee approval, institutional permission and informed consent of the students included in the study were obtained for the study. RESULTS: In the study, the mean SOC score of the nursing students was 49.95 ± 10.30, the mean MAAS score was 56.57 ± 12.41 and the mean ASES score was 16.13 ± 2.96. It was determined that there was a moderately positive relationship between sense of coherence and mindful attention awareness and a very weak negative correlation between academic self-efficacy and sense of coherence and mindful attention awareness (p < 0.05). 36.4% of students' SOC scores are explained by MAAS and ASES. In our study, it was determined that the Grade point average (GPA) had a statistical effect on the SOC score. The interactions between GPA and choosing the nursing profession were found to be statistically significant (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: As a result of the study, the student's sense of coherence, mindful attention awareness and academic self-efficacy scores were obtained at a moderate level. While there was a positive relationship between sense of coherence and GPA, there was a negative relationship between sense of coherence and academic self-efficacy. It can be recommended to plan interventions that will increase academic self-efficacy and to make plans so that students can realize and develop their own abilities in the university environment.

Aprendizaje y práctica de la conciencia plena en estudiantes de bachillerato para potenciar la relajación y la autoeficacia en el rendimiento escolar / Learning Mindfulness for Enhancing Relaxation and Self-Efficacy on Academic Performance in High School Students

El objetivo este estudio fue analizar los efectos que produce un programa psicoeducativo de entrenamiento en conciencia plena (mindfulness) sobre la autoeficacia en el rendimiento escolar y los estados de relajación (Estados-R), en adolescentes estudiantes de bachillerato. Se realizó un diseño controlado y aleatorizado con un grupo experimental y un grupo control en lista de espera con medición pretest-postest. Los instrumentos de medida empleados fueron el Cuestionario de Cartagena (Cartagena, 2008) y el Cuestionario SRSI-3 (Smith, 2005a). Los análisis estadísticos muestran la existencia de mejoras significativas en el grupo experimental en comparación con el grupo control, en los niveles de autoeficacia en el rendimiento escolar, así como en los estados de relajación básica, conciencia plena y energía positiva; además, se obtuvo una reducción significativa en el grupo experimental en comparación con el grupo control en la dimensión de estrés percibido.

The aim of the present study is to analyze the effects of a mindfulness training psycho-educative program on self-efficacy in the academic performance and relaxation states in a sample of High School students. A randomized controlled trial with pretest-posttest measurements was used with an experimental group and a control group (waiting list). The Cartagena Questionnaire (Cartagena, 2008) and the SRSI Questionnaire (Smith, 2005a) were employed. The statistical analyses carried out on the studied variables showed significant improvements in favor of the experimental group compared with the control group on the levels of self-efficacy in academic performance, as well as on the states of basic relaxation, mindfulness and positive energy. The program also produced a significant reduction in the experimental group compared with the control group in the dimension of perceived stress.