Sex gaps and age differences in the structure of academic cyberloafing from early to middle adolescence: A network analysis.

BACKGROUND: Academic cyberloafing refers to students' engagement in non-learning-related online activities during online courses, which can negatively affect their academic performance. Prior studies investigated cyberloafing primarily in the workplace, neglecting core behaviors and interactions among academic cyberloafing in educational contexts. AIMS: This study employed network analysis to capture academic cyberloafing as an interactive behavior network to explore the core behavioral patterns of academic cyberloafing and the interactions between these behaviors. MATERIALS & METHODS: A total of 3537 adolescents (Mage = 12.49; 53.7% boys and 46.3% girls) in China were included in this study. RESULTS: The findings indicated that "seeking gossip news" and "watching short videos" are central behaviors. Among boys, "browsing nonacademic web pages" and "watching short videos" are central behaviors; "seeking gossip news" is the most central behavior among girls. Furthermore, in early adolescence, central behaviors encompass "chatting privately" and "seeking gossip news"; in middle adolescence, central behaviors include "seeking gossip news" and "watching short videos." Additionally, the comparisons indicated that academic cyberloafing networks (between boys and girls; between early and middle adolescence) show a similar structure and global strength but differ in specific academic cyberloafing associations. CONCLUSION: As adolescents of different sexes and ages engage in academic cyberloafing differently, tailored education interventions can be implemented to address unregulated cyberloafing.

Antecedents and outcomes of cyberbullying among Chinese university students: verification of a behavioral pathway model.

Introduction: Cyberbullying is a commonly-seen and hotly-debated social topic around the globe. This negative behavior is the source of many disastrous events, and so leading government bodies, organizations, schools and social communities attach great importance to addressing this topic. However, there is still much work to do in order to be clear about the causes of cyberbullying. Methods: The previous research cases were mostly viewed from the victims' perspectives; however, there is no comprehensive understanding of the perpetrators' viewpoints. Therefore, based on Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) and analysis of discussion in the literature, the following six variables were chosen as the focus of this study: overconfidence, excessive moral sense, cyberbullying, perceived value, happiness, and continued cyberbullying intention. This study established a research model of continued cyberbullying intention, which was verified by Structural Equation Modeling. In order to achieve the aims of the study, Chinese university students with an average age of 20.29 (SD = 1.43) were recruited as participants, from whom 1,048 valid questionnaires were collected. Results: The research results are as follows: 1. Overconfidence and excessive moral sense positively predicted cyberbullying behaviors; 2. Overconfidence positively predicted excessive moral sense; 3. Cyberbullying positively predicted perceived value and sense of happiness; and 4. Perceived value and sense of happiness positively predicted continued cyberbullying intentions. Conclusion: Students' biased self-perception significantly predicts their cyberbullying behaviors and continued cyberbullying intention. What is more, it is interesting to learn that perpetrators will continue to exhibit cyberbullying behaviors when they believe that what they do (cyberbullying) is valuable or allows them to experience positive feelings; this requires our attention.

Mapping gender networks of music self-concept and music emotions: A network analysis study of music majors in China.

BACKGROUND: Students' music self-concept and music emotions are becoming prominent topics within the area of music education. AIMS, SAMPLES AND METHODS: The majority of previous research on self-concept and music emotions has examined the two constructs independently and focused on gender differences in externalizing behaviours in music learning, but has neglected the internal interactions between individual music self-concept and music emotions. Network analysis is a promising method for visually examining music self-concept and music emotions as part of a network of interactions to identify core features and interrelationships among nodes in the network. In this study, 515 students majoring in music from a Chinese university were recruited. RESULTS: The results showed that high music self-concept and boredom were the common features at the core of the network for both men and women college students. The boredom exhibited by women differed from that of men in that men's boredom was directed at the entire music course, while boredom in women manifested as daydreaming and boredom with learning materials. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to explore gender differences in the music self-concept and music emotions from a holistic perspective. The findings could help music teachers gain insight into the complex system of music self-concept and music emotions. Music teachers could capture the respective features of men and women to design individualized teaching strategies.

Teachers Who are Stuck in Time: Development and Validation of Teachers' Time Poverty Scale.

Purpose: Time poverty has been shown to adversely affect individuals' development as well as organizations and countries, which is also a widespread problem among teachers, affecting work performance, mental health, and even the development of students and schools. However, the advancement of education research on time poverty has been stymied by the lack of a validated measure. Therefore, to fill the theoretical gap of time poverty in education and to compensate for the absence of an instrument for measuring teachers' time poverty and the challenges of using objective measures, it is necessary to develop and verify a domain-specific measurement instrument among teachers. Patients and Methods: An online questionnaire is designed through a Chinese data collection platform (Questionnaire Star). Study 1 and Study 2 are a cross-sectional study included 713 teachers in China and the descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and analyses of exploratory and confirmatory factors are used to develop the Teachers' Time Poverty Scale. Study 3 and Study 4 are a longitudinal study included 330 teachers, while the Time Confusion Tendency Scale and Life Satisfaction Scale is used to verify the measurement tool. SPSS 26.0 and Mplus 8.3 are used to analyze the data. Results: Teachers' Time Poverty Scale with the single-factor structure exhibits good psychometric properties based on seven items. And teachers' time poverty can negatively and significantly predict life satisfaction and teachers' time poverty can be positively and significantly predicted by time confusion tendency. Conclusion: Teachers' Time Poverty Scale is a useful tool that can be used in actual investigations to provide empirical support for teachers, schools, and education policy makers.

Predicting the Learning Avoidance Motivation, Learning Commitment, and Silent Classroom Behavior of Chinese Vocational College Students Caused by Short Video Addiction.

As short video addiction has gradually become an emerging Internet behavioral addiction, its negative impacts on the student population have been noticed and cannot be ignored. Based on a literature review, this study referred to the person-process-content framework and drew on the ecosystem theory to define the relationship between short video addiction, learning avoidance motivation, learning commitment, and silent classroom behavior by using structural equation modeling. This study recruited 1000 participants from Chinese vocational colleges to fill out questionnaires. With an effective recovery rate of 94.6%, there were 946 effective study participants comprising 445 males (47%) and 501 females (53%). After it was confirmed that the data passed the reliability and validity tests, structural equation model analysis was carried out. The study results showed that short video addiction was positively correlated with learning avoidance motivation, but negatively correlated with learning commitment; on the other hand, study avoidance motivation was negatively correlated with learning commitment, but positively correlated with silent classroom behavior. Meanwhile, there was a negative correlation between learning commitment and silent classroom behavior. As a result, the negative correlation between short video addiction and learning behavior needs attention from parents and teachers.

The Relation between Intergroup Contact and Subjective Well-Being among College Students at Minzu Universities: The Moderating Role of Social Support.

Although Minzu universities provide a platform for communication for college students from all ethnic groups, the multi-ethnic communication pattern could influence students' well-being. To improve the well-being of these minority college students, this study analyzed the impact of intergroup contact on subjective well-being, as well as the moderating role of social support. Through a cross-sectional investigation, 860 valid data were collected from the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The results found that the quantity of intergroup contact, the quality of intergroup contact, and the global intergroup contact could positively predict the subjective well-being of students at Minzu universities. Social support had a positive moderating effect. That is, the stronger the social support, the stronger prediction it had on subjective well-being from the quantity of intergroup contact, the quality of intergroup contact, and the global intergroup contact among college students at Minzu universities. Therefore, based on the methods of increasing contact opportunities, improving contact quality, and enhancing social support, Minzu universities can increase the interaction among students from all ethnic groups and so, further improve the subjective well-being of college students.

Relation between Shyness and Music Academic Engagement: The Mediation of Achievement Goals-A Cross-Sectional Survey Study.

Music discipline that emphasizes expression, performance and collaboration may cause difficulties for shy students who are prone to anxiety about social interaction, which might cause low music academic engagement and achievement. According to Models of Personality and Affect regarding the role of psychological constructs in educational contexts, shyness and academic engagement are the first and third-level variables, respectively. We hypothesized that achievement goals might be the second-level variable between shyness and academic engagement. Two hypotheses were proposed in the study: (1) shyness is negatively related to music academic engagement; (2) the music achievement goals mediate shyness and music academic engagement. The research was conducted in May 2022. A total of 515 college students who major in music were randomly recruited from a public university in Shanxi province, China. A 20 min self-report questionnaire was conducted as the data collection method. The research results revealed the following: (1) shyness was negatively associated with musical academic engagement; (2) the music mastery goals and the music performance avoidance goals (excluding the performance approach goal) partially mediated the association between shyness and music academic engagement in music learning. These findings have implications for the research and practice of music academic engagement of shyness.

Impact of social comparison on perceived online academic futility: A perspective from parents.

In response to the wide-ranging concern of online academic futility, the current study aimed to explore the independent variables and mediating variable from a novel perspective of parents during COVID-19. Based on the social comparison theory and the control-value theory of achievement emotions, social comparison and tutoring anxiety were incorporated into an integrated model as predictors and mediator, respectively. A total of 300 parents completed an online survey. The results of the structural equation modeling indicated that upward social comparison and downward social comparison were both positively related to tutoring anxiety, which in turn positively predicted perceived online academic futility. Notably, tutoring anxiety played a significant mediating role in the association between different social comparison and perceived online academic futility. These results highlight the consistent predictive effect of upward social comparison and downward social comparison on perceived online academic futility, shedding light on the roles of tutoring anxiety in explaining the relationship from parental perspectives.

Relationship Between School Music Context and Music Career Choice Among Chinese Adolescents: A Framework Based on a Context-Process-Outcomes Model.

Background: In response to the wide-ranging concern of career choice, the present study aimed to explore the antecedents and internal mechanisms of choosing a music career. Methods: Based on the model of context-process-outcomes, the school context (eg, school musical activities, musical specialized classrooms, music broadcasting and music teachers) was incorporated into an integrated model as predictors. We selected music interest and music value as mediators. A total of 28,018 adolescents in public secondary school completed psychometric questionnaires. Results: The results of structural equation modeling indicated that school musical activities, musical classroom, and music teachers were all positively related to music interest and music value, which in turn positively predicted music career choice but the indirect impact of school musical broadcasting on music career choice via music value is not valid. Conclusion: This survey investigated a large national sample of adolescents for music career choice and its relevant antecedents based on the context-process-outcomes model. There was a significant influence of school music context on students' music career choice. Furthermore, music interest and music value partially explained the indirect psychological process between school music context and music career choice.

The relation between autonomy support and music enjoyment in online learning for music undergraduates in the post-COVID-19 era.

Music enjoyment is considered to predict music-related academic performance and career choice. Although relevant research in non-music fields has demonstrated the association between teachers' autonomy support and students' academic enjoyment, it remains unknown whether this association is valid in the music discipline. In addition, in the post-COVID-19 era, online education has become a common way of teaching and learning for music undergraduates. In the form of online learning, the mechanisms mediating teachers' music autonomy support and students' music academic enjoyment are also unknown. This study draws on Pekrun's theory of achievement emotions and control values to explore the mediating role of attributions and values in the association between autonomous support and academic achievement. In this study, 270 undergraduates majoring in music eventually completed the online surveys. Results from structural equation modeling indicated that autonomy support positively predicted music enjoyment and that attributions (i.e., internal attribution and external attribution) and values (i.e., intrinsic value, attainment value, utility value) mediated the association between autonomy support and music enjoyment. The findings also provide insights into possible avenue for promoting music enjoyment emotion during online teaching in the post-COVID-19 era. Implications and limitations are discussed in the study.

Motivational profiles of kindergarten teachers in minority areas of China and their association with outcomes.

Academic discourses regarding teacher motivation have been on-going for decades for those who teach in ethnic minority areas. Yet research findings failed to provide a consistent conclusion regarding if kindergarten teachers' motivation pattern would vary based on a case-to-case scenario. Therefore, further studies are needed to probe the motivation patterns among this population. The study firstly examined kindergarten teachers' motivational profiles based on Expectancy Value Theory (EVT), and then examined how teachers' motivation related to outcome variables (work engagement, workplace wellbeing, and retention intention). Participants included 1,199 kindergarten teachers from ethnic minority areas in China. Latent profile analysis identified three motivation profiles for teachers: low value-high cost (profile 1), moderate all (profile 2), and high value-low cost (profile 3). Teacher with different motivation profiles had significant differences in work engagement, workplace wellbeing, and retention intention. In addition, chain mediation analysis revealed that work engagement and workplace wellbeing mediated the relationship between motivation profiles and retention intention. The implications of the findings for study are discussed.

Associations between kindergarten climate and retention intention of kindergarten teachers: The chain mediating roles of perceived organizational support and psychological empowerment.

Kindergarten climate has been reported to be closely associated with teachers' retention intention, yet the underlying mechanism of this association remains unclear in some ethnic minority areas in China. Based on the Personal-Environment Fit Theory and Organizational Support Theory, the research aims to examine the correlation between kindergarten climate and retention intention of Chinese kindergarten teachers in ethnic minority areas and the chain mediating role of perceived organizational support, as well as the psychological empowerment. In total, 1,199 Chinese kindergarten teachers were recruited from ethnic minority areas to complete the questionnaires. Based on their responses, the main findings of the study were listed as follows: (1) A supportive kindergarten climate has a positive correlation with perceived organizational support, psychological empowerment, and retention intention. (2) A positive kindergarten climate would increase the retention intention only through the indirect path of perceived organizational support, psychological empowerment, as well as the chain mediating path between these two variables. Taken together, these results further explained the interplay between kindergarten climate and teachers' retention intention. Implications for research on retention intention were discussed. Theoretically, it enriches the theoretical basis related to the external environmental resources and individual cognition. Practically, it means that educational policymakers will need to issue new guidelines to ensure that more kindergarten teachers are retained in China's ethnic minority areas.

The Concurrent and Longitudinal Relations Between Competitive Classroom Climate and Learning Motivation Among Chinese Adolescent Students: The Mediating Roles of Social Comparisons.

Purpose: Over the past decade, cross-sectional studies have established a link between competitive classroom climate and learning motivation. However, the precise predictive direction has remained unclear, and the potential mechanisms underlying the link have yet to be investigated. According to the social comparison theory, competitive classroom climate is positively associated with learning motivation, and upward and downward comparison may play a role in mediating this process. Patients and Methods: Data were obtained from a three-wave study of 476 Chinese senior high school students (45.4% boys, 54.6% girls) aged 14-18 years. Structural equation modeling was performed to test different models. Results: Concurrent and longitudinal analyses revealed that higher competitive classroom climate was associated with higher learning motivation. Moreover, upward comparison mediated the relation between competitive classroom climate and learning motivation. However, downward comparison did not mediate these relations. Conclusion: From the perspective of practice, the results provide evidence for how to promote learning motivation by cultivating competitive classroom climate and applying effective social comparison strategies.

Home Quarantine Behavior in College Students: The Internal Mechanism and Cross-National Differences.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic motivated people to stay at home to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection and community transmission, but limited research has investigated the behavioral mechanisms underlying home quarantine. Methods: Based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study explored the mediating role of intention toward home quarantine and the moderating role of nationality among attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. A total of 827 college students from the United States and China were recruited to complete an online survey. Results: The results of structural equation modeling showed that antecedents (ie, attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control) could predict actual home-quarantine behavior through the role of intention. Notably, the relation between both attitude and intention and perceived behavioral control and intention were moderated by nationality. Specifically, attitude was a stronger predictor of intention for American participants than for Chinese participants; however, perceived behavioral control was a stronger predictor of intention for Chinese participants. Conclusion: These findings reveal the internal mechanism of home-quarantine behavior and the heterogeneous explanations attributed to cultural diversity during the pandemic, which not only expands the application of TPB but also provides a reference for infectious disease mitigation in the field of public health policy.

Impact of Face-Recognition-Based Access Control System on College Students' Sense of School Identity and Belonging During COVID-19 Pandemic.

In the context of coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), the face-recognition-based access control system (FACS) has been intensively adopted to protect students' and teachers' health and safety in school. However, the impact of FACS, as a new technology, on students' attitude toward accepting FACS has remained unknown from the psychological halo effect. Drawn on "halo effect" theory where psychological effects affect the sense of social identity and belonging, the present study explored college students' sense of school identity and belonging in using FACS during COVID-19 based on the technology acceptance model (TAM). Data collected from 391 college students was analyzed using SEM to verify the relationship among perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEU), intention to use (IU), school identity, and school belonging. The results show that PU and PEU can positively predict IU, and consequentially can positively predict school identity and school belonging. Our study expands the application of halo effect theory to study FACS acceptance based on TAM, and provides strong evidence to support the effect of school FACS during the pandemic. The findings of this study also suggest that FACS acceptance can enhance students' sense of school identity and belonging.

Academic procrastination precedes problematic mobile phone use in Chinese adolescents: A longitudinal mediation model of distraction cognitions.

Cross-sectional studies have documented a positive association between academic procrastination and problematic mobile phone use (PMPU). However, the specific predictive direction has remained controversial and the potential mechanisms underlying the association have not been rigorously evaluated. According to Davis's cognitive-behavioral model, Brand et al.'s I-PACE model, and procrastination-related theories, academic procrastination and PMPU might have a reciprocal relationship and distraction cognitions might play a mediating role in this process. A total of 633 secondary school students completed three self-report questionnaires at three 6-month intervals over the course of 1.5 years. The cross-lagged panel model results showed that earlier academic procrastination positively predicted subsequent PMPU over time, but the reverse prediction was not stable. Furthermore, distraction cognitions played a mediating role in linking earlier academic procrastination and subsequent PMPU. These findings indicate that academic procrastination precedes PMPU with distraction cognitions as a potential mediator, which contributes to clarifying the controversial relationship and explicating the underlying mechanism. Overall, interventions for academic procrastination may be effective in reducing maladaptive cognitions associated with mobile phones and preventing adolescents from developing PMPU.

The Effects of Scientific Self-efficacy and Cognitive Anxiety on Science Engagement with the "Question-Observation-Doing-Explanation" Model during School Disruption in COVID-19 Pandemic.

Game-based learning supported by mobile intelligence technology has promoted the renewal of teaching and learning models. Herein, a model of Question-Observation-Doing-Explanation (QODE) based on smart phones was constructed and applied to science learning during school disruption in COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, from the theoretical perspective of cognitive-affective theory of learning with media, Bandura's motivation theory and community of inquiry model, self-report measure was used to verify the effect of students' scientific self-efficacy and cognitive anxiety on science engagement. A total of 357 valid questionnaires were used for structural equation model research. The results indicated that two types of scientific self-efficacy, as indicated by scientific learning ability and scientific learning behavior, were negatively associated with cognitive anxiety. In addition, cognitive anxiety was also negatively correlated to four types of science engagement, as indicated by cognitive engagement, emotional engagement, behavioral engagement, and social engagement through smartphone interactions. These findings provide further evidence for game-based learning promoted by smart phones, contributing to a deeper understanding of the associations between scientific self-efficacy, cognitive anxiety, and science engagement. This study points out that the QODE model is suitable for implementing smart mobile devices to students' science learning.