Sleep quality and sleep deprivation: relationship with academic performance in university students during examination period

The beginning of the university brings together maturational, psychosocial and academic changes that make university students more prone to suffer from insufficient or poor quality sleep, which can negatively influence their academic performance. The period of taking exams is a key part of the academic year. However, there are few studies that analyze sleep during this period of time. Our aim is to study the association of sleep quality and sleep deprivation with academic performance during the examination period. A descriptive, cross-sectional and correlational study was carried out with the participation of 640 subjects in the first three years of five faculties belonging to the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. The instrument used consisted of a questionnaire that included sociodemographic and academic data, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Epworth Sleepiness Scale and information about the academic performance. During the examination period, a positive association was found between sleep quality and academic performance. University students slept less than desired, both on weekdays and weekends, and the sleep debt during the week was associated with a worse students' perception of their academic performance. In total, 61.3% of the students believed that their performance would improve by getting more sleep. In addition, low drowsiness and napping were also found. In conclusion, during periods of greater academic demand, an insufficient sleep and poor quality is commonly observed, affecting negatively to their academic performance. Actually, about 2/3 of our subjects believed that their performance would improve by getting more sleep.

The Effects of Pubertal Timing on Academic Performance in Adolescence and Career Success in Adulthood: Evidence from a 16-year Longitudinal Study

Previous research showed inconsistent effects of pubertal timing on adolescent academic performance and adult career success. Moreover, the relative importance of biological vs. perceived pubertal timing has not been examined. This study examined effects of biological and perceived pubertal timing on academic performance throughout adolescence and career success in adulthood together with sex differences in an understudied population of pre-dominantly Black youth from lower income families. The sample included 704 youth (52% male, 76% Black, 22% White) interviewed at four time points (Mean ages: 11.8, 13.2, 17.6, and 27.7 years). The results from a mediation path model showed that among males, perceived off-time pubertal timing uniquely predicted lower concurrent academic performance as well as lower objective career success in adulthood; this effect was mediated by lower academic performance throughout adolescence. Additionally, results from bivariate correlation analyses showed associations between early biological pubertal timing and lower concurrent academic performance in males and early perceived pubertal timing and lower concurrent academic performance among females. These findings contribute to the understanding of more nuanced links between pubertal timing, academic performance and subsequent career success in an understudied population of pre-dominantly Black youth from lower income families.

The association between how medical students were selected and their perceived stress levels in Year-1 of medical school

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of medical students' mental distress is high. While schools apply various methods to select a well-performing and diverse student population, little is known about the association between different selection methods and the well-being of these students during medical school. The present retrospective multi-cohort study assessed whether students selected by high grades, assessment, or weighted lottery showed different stress perception levels in Year-1 of medical school.

METHODS

Of 1144 Dutch Year-1 medical students, 650 (57%) of the cohorts 2013, 2014, and 2018 who were selected by high grades, assessment, or weighted lottery completed a stress perception questionnaire (PSS-14). A multilevel regression analysis assessed the association between selection method (independent variable) and stress perception levels (dependent variable) while controlling for gender and cohort. In a post-hoc analysis, academic performance (optimal vs. non-optimal) was included in the multilevel model.

RESULTS

Students selected by assessment (B = 2.25, p < .01, effect size (ES) = small) or weighted lottery (B = 3.95, p < .01, ES = medium) had higher stress perception levels than students selected by high grades. Extending the regression model with optimal academic performance (B=-4.38, p < .001, ES = medium), eliminated the statistically significant difference in stress perception between assessment and high grades and reduced the difference between weighted lottery and high grades from 3.95 to 2.45 (B = 2.45, p < .05, ES = small).

CONCLUSIONS

Selection methods intended to create a diverse student population - assessment and lottery - are associated with higher stress perception levels in Year-1 of medical school. These findings offer medical schools insights into fulfilling their responsibility to take care of their students' well-being.

Multimodal teaching methods for students in dentistry: a replacement for traditional teaching or a valuable addition? A three-year prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

This student-centred prospective cohort study evaluated the impact of multimodal teaching methods on student performance in the theoretical domain of dental studies.

METHODS

Dental students answered anonymous questionnaires indicating their preferences and opinions three times over three consecutive academic years. Data collected included gender, course, year of study and most frequent and preferred learning modality. Survey responses from Google Forms were analysed with SPSS 20.0 software (IBM Company, Chicago, IL, USA). Scale responses were tested with the Mann-Whitney U test against gender, program and year of study. Grades obtained from structured examinations held in the third academic year were analysed using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test according to the teaching method employed. The level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.

RESULTS

The response rate was high (> 80%) throughout the study. Acceptance of online modalities increased over time (Kruskal-Wallis test, p < 0.001) and 75% of students requested that online teaching modalities be maintained. Significant differences in gender, program of study, year of study and discipline taught were observed (Mann-Whitney test, p < 0.05). Females differed from males by favouring online modalities and face-to-face lectures, respectively, and clinical year students opted to retain pre-recorded online lectures. Recorded lectures resulted better for teaching core knowledge (Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, p = 0.034), while face-to-face lectures were better for teaching applied knowledge (Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, p = 0.043). Student responses to open-ended questions identified the need for a blended approach with in-person lecturing as an opportunity to socialise and avoid mental health issues. Although preferences varied, students showed a willingness to influence their learning and changes in curriculum, a predilection for self-directed learning and the need for freedom in engaging with resources and content.

CONCLUSIONS

In the context of this study, online teaching modalities resulted in comparable examination performance and improved student satisfaction. This highlights the need for a blended approach to teaching.

Air quality and individual-level academic performance in Brazil: A nationwide study of more than 15 million students between 2000 and 2020

Studies have shown that living and studying in places with poor air quality is associated with cognitive deficits. However, there is still a limitation in the literature in terms of study design and geographic location. Also, only a few studies have looked at the effects of more than one air pollutant. To address this research gap, in this study we estimated the association between air pollution (considering three criteria air pollutants - PM_2.5, NO₂, and O₃) and academic performance (a proxy of cognitive performance) at the student level in Brazil between 2000 and 2020. We assessed academic performance data from a nationwide high school exam. The data included 15,443,772 students who took this national test between 2000 and 2020 in Brazil. Air pollution data was derived from satellite remote sensing observations. We fit mixed-effects regression models with a state-specific random intercept and adjusted for school characteristics, spatio-temporal factors, and socioeconomic status. We performed sub-group analyses by stratifying the analysis by type of school management (private or public), location of the school (urban or rural), sex, and periods. Our findings suggest air pollution exposure was associated with drops in the students' marks varying from 0.13% to 5.39%. To our knowledge, this is the first study that estimates the association between air pollution and individual-level academic performance in Brazil. This study is of substantial environmental and educational importance by supporting policymakers to improve the air quality surrounding schools.

Impact of ethnic identity and geographical home location on student academic performance

Situated against the backdrop of a politically fueled ethnic hate between the Northern Region and the rest, this study exposes the relationship between the students' regions of origin and their academic performance in Malawian higher education to contribute to appropriate student support and healthy study habits. Spearman's rHO indicated weak but statistically significant correlations between one's home region and academic performance. Kruskal Wallis Test (N = 20,263) revealed that no single region outperforms others. Thematic analysis of interview data (N = 15) through NVivo revealed that students believe effort matters more in academic performance irrespective of one's region of origin. Implications for education policy that harness healthy study habits to enhance student achievement, retention, and self-efficacy about success are discussed.

Survey data assessing the junior high school students' learning attitudes toward home-based education amidst the Covid-19 pandemic

This dataset was obtained to determine the learning attitudes of junior high school (JHS) students toward Home-Based Education (HBE). A descriptive - survey approach was used employing a proportional stratified random sampling to determine the samples n = 398 drawn from a total population of N = 75,542 junior high school students enrolled in 42 public secondary schools in Zamboanga City Division for SY 2020-2021. The data collection was conducted from August 2021 to September 2021 amidst lockdown thus, a combined data collection - Online & Offline was conducted using an adopted validated instrument. Out of 398 samples considered, only 383 eligible consenting JHS students completed the survey with a response rate of 96.23% to include 274 (71.54%) Online & 109 (28.46%) Offline. There were two problems investigated to include determining the learning attitudes of JHS students measured in terms of Nature, Anxiety, Expectations, & Openness to Learning, and to determine whether there exists a significant difference between the learning attitudes of junior high school students across four Independent Variables (IVs): gender, grade level, age and socioeconomic status (SES). Mean, Standard Deviation, and MANOVA were used to analyze the data gathered. Data assumptions were employed before employing MANOVA, and based on the results obtained from the data analysis, the overall learning attitudes of junior high school students toward HBE is High; and learning attitude varies significantly across grade level and age in terms of Nature and Anxiety of Learning, and in the SES in terms of Expectations of Learning. .

A clinical and technical methodological review on stress detection and sleep quality prediction in an academic environment

BACKGROUND

Mental health in recent times is a much talked about topic and its effects on the sleep health of the students are said to result in long-term health issues if not identified and resolved. Students who are subjected to psychological stress have often been reported to have lower sleep quality which together has affected the academic performance of the students.

OBJECTIVE

While stress has its adverse effect on students'quality of sleep, an effort is also made to identify standard techniques and tools to automatically assess stress levels and sleep quality in a non-invasive environment among students only. This article mainly focuses on the Clinical and technical methodology employed in stress level detection and sleep quality prediction among students.

METHODS

This study was conducted by examining all research studies conducted in the past with respect to students in an academic setting from year 2000 to early 2022. The papers under study where finalised based on different methodologies involved in stress level detection and sleep quality prediction considering both in unimodal and multimodal measurements.

RESULTS

While questionnaires and physiological signals are used as a standard measuring tool, it is mostly used in a unimodal environment to measure students' mental stress or sleep quality in academic settings.

CONCLUSION

This paper describes in detail the clinical aspect of the association between mental stress, sleep quality, and academic performance in students followed by technical aspects to analyse the stress levels and sleep quality both qualitatively and quantitatively in an academic environment.

The mediating role of neurocognitive functions in the relation between physical competencies and academic achievement of primary school children

Previous studies into associations between physical, neurocognitive and academic skills have reported inconsistent results. This study aimed to get more insight into these relations by examining all three domains simultaneously, testing a complete mediational model including measures of physical competencies (cardiovascular fitness and motor skills), neurocognitive skills (attention, information processing, and core executive functions), and academic achievement (reading, mathematics, and spelling). Dutch primary school students (n = 891, 440 boys, mean age 9.17 years) were assessed on the Shuttle Run Test (cardiovascular fitness), items of the Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder and Bruininks-Oseretsky Test-II (fundamental motor skills), computerized neurocognitive tests, and standardized academic achievement tests. A multilevel structural equation model showed that physical competencies were only indirectly related to academic achievement, via specific neurocognitive functions depending on the academic domain involved. Results provide important implications, highlighting the importance of well-developed physical competencies in children.

Monetary versus grade incentives depending on personality traits: A field experiment on undergraduate students' performance

This study aims to examine the role of personality on the effectiveness in improving students' performance of two extrinsic incentives: monetary and grade incentives. To achieve this goal, we conducted a randomized field experiment in which students in a Microeconomics course were offered the opportunity to participate in a practice test program, with no effects on the grade of the course itself. In the call to participate, students were informed that participants would be randomly assigned to one of two groups. Whereas in the control group students would not be monetarily incentivized, participants assigned to the treatment group would be paid according to their performance in the practice tests. In addition, we elicited the big five personality and risk aversion traits of the participants (168 undergraduates). All subjects received grade incentives in the later official course exam, in which no monetary incentives were offered. We used non-parametric tests to carry out both between-subjects and within-subjects performance comparisons. Controlling for potential confounding factors like students' gender and academic record, our OLS regressions indicate that although monetary incentives are effective in improving students' performance in practice tests, their effect does not carry over to the course exam. Furthermore, we find that the effectiveness of grade incentives (used in the course exam) on improvement as a substitute for monetary incentives (adopted in practice tests), is higher the more conscientious the students are.

Online education of engineering students: Educational platforms and their influence on the level of academic performance

The World Health Organization announced the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to considerable disruption of the global education system and required an early adaptation of the educational process. In addition to the resumption of the educational process, it was necessary to preserve the academic performance of students of higher educational institutions, including engineering ones. This study aims to develop a curriculum for engineering students to increase their level of success. Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (Ukraine) hosted the study. The sample consisted of 354 fourth-year students of the Engineering and Chemistry Faculty: 131 "Applied Mechanics", 133 "Industrial Engineering", and 151 "Automation and Computer-Integrated Technologies". The sample included students of the Faculty of Computer Science and Computer Engineering: 121 "Software Engineering", and 126 "Information Systems and Technologies" - 154 students from the 1st year and 60 students from the 2nd year. The study was conducted during 2019-2020. The data includes grades for in-line classes and final test scores. The result of the research has shown that modern digital tools such as Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom, Quizlet, YouTube, Skype, and Zoom, among others, have provided a highly effective educational process. The results of the educational process are as follows: 63 + 23 + 10 students received "Excellent/Perfect" (A) in 2019, 65 + 44 + 8 in 2020; 146 + 64 + 20 and 159 + 81 + 18 received "Good (B, C)", respectively; 135 + 64 + 30 and 120 + 27 + 31 "Satisfactory" (D, E), respectively; - 10 + 3 + 0 and 10 + 2 + 3 "Unsatisfactory" (F), respectively. There was a tendency to increase the average score. The researchers found that the learning models were different before (offline) and during (online) the COVID-19 epidemic. However, the academic results of students were not different. The authors can conclude that e-learning (distance, online) is possible when training engineering students. The introduction of a new, jointly developed author's course "Technology of mechanical engineering in Medicine and Pharmacy" will also allow future engineers to be more competitive in the labor market.

Admission criteria and academic performance in medical school

BACKGROUND

Different variables have been used to predict the academic performance of students in medical schools. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of demographics, admission system, and high-school background on the academic performance of medical students.

METHODS

We conducted this longitudinal cohort study on 808 students admitted to the Faculty of. Medicine at the University of Jordan (Amman, Jordan), in the years 2012 and 2013. Admission pathway, and academic performance data were collected and analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 808 students [i.e., 426 (52.7%) females, and 382(47.3%) males] were identified. Admitted students were holding 17 different types of high school degrees, and were accepted through 6 different quota pathways (open competition [National unified admission], underprivileged ["Makrumah"], parallel, children of university staff, international students, and others). Students admitted through the open competition and the underprivileged quota(Makrumah) were more likely to graduate on time and had higher graduation grades while students admitted through the parallel, international and others quota were more likely to fail and had lower graduation grades. Regarding highs school degrees, the students that were more likely to graduate were those with IB and the Jordanian high school degrees. The highest graduation GPA was for IB students followed by SAT, IGCSE as well as Jordanian and Syrian high school degrees respectively. IB, Jordanian, Kuwaiti and IGSC high school grades were significantly correlated with the graduation GPA.

CONCLUSIONS

Admission criteria such as type of high school degree and grades as well as admission pathways can predict the likelihood to graduate and the graduation GPA of medical students. Open competition and underprivileged admission pathways as well as IB, IGCSE and Jordanian high school degrees seem to be better predictors of student performance in the medical school.

Nursing students' nomophobia, social media use, attention, motivation, and academic performance: A structural equation modeling approach

AIM

To investigate the interrelationships of nomophobia, social media use, attention, motivation, and academic performance among nursing students.

BACKGROUND

There is a preponderance of studies about nursing students' nomophobia, social media use, and academic performance. However, the mediating role of motivation and attention between nomophobia and academic performance remains a blind spot in nursing literature.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional design and structural equation modeling (SEM) approach.

METHOD

Students from five nursing institutions in the Philippines were recruited via convenience sampling (n = 835). We used STROBE guidelines in reporting this study. Three self-report instruments (Motivational Strategies for Learning Questionnaire [MSLQ], Media and Technology Usage and Attitude Scale [MTUAS], and Nomophobia Questionnaire [NMP-Q]) were used to collect data. SEM, mediation analyses, and path analyses were used for data analysis.

RESULTS

The emerging model afforded acceptable model fit indices. Nursing students' nomophobia positively influenced social media use whereas negatively impacting motivation and attention. Social media use, motivation, and attention directly affect academic performance. Path analyses depicted that motivation and attention mediated the indirect effect of nomophobia on academic performance. Motivation mediated the indirect impact of nomophobia on attention. Finally, attention mediated the indirect effect of motivation on academic performance.

CONCLUSION

Nursing institutions and educators can use the proposed model in developing guidelines for evaluating nomophobia and regulating social media use in the academic and clinical context. These initiatives could support nursing students' transition from school to practice while assisting them in maintaining their academic performance.

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.

Time outdoors positively associates with academic performance: a school-based study with objective monitoring of outdoor time

BACKGROUND

To explore the relationship between outdoor time and academic performance among school-aged children.

METHODS

This study was designed as a cross-sectional study. Data were derived from a school-based prospective children myopia intervention study (STORM). Outdoor time was recorded by self-developed algorithm-validated wristwatches in real-time and calculated as the cumulative average of 10 months. The academic performance was recorded and provided by the participating schools and further standardized. Other information was collected using an online standardized questionnaire. Mixed-effects model and B-Spline method were used to investigate the association between time spent on different types of daily activity, including outdoor activity and academic performance.

RESULTS

A total of 3291 children with mean age 9.25 years were included in the final analysis. Overall, outdoor time was associated with academic performance in a non-linear manner; specifically, not exceeding 2.3 h per day, outdoor time was positively associated with academic performance; exceeding 2.3 h per day, this association became non-significant. Likewise, daily sleep duration and out-of-school learning time were associated with academic performance in a non-linear manner, resulting in turning points of 11.3 and 1.4 h per day, respectively. Separate analysis showed that outdoor time and sleep duration but not out-of-school learning time were positively associated with academic performance in Chinese, mathematics and English.

CONCLUSION

Outdoor time, sleep duration and out-of-school learning time were associated with academic performance in a non-linear manner. Promotion of outdoor time may not negatively impact on academic performance.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Our study was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT02980445).

Exploring educational impacts among pre, during and post COVID-19 lockdowns from students with different personality traits

The influence of personality traits on educational outcomes has been widely recognized and studied. Research has explored its effects on factors such as student satisfaction, academic anxiety, and dishonesty, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there has been a lack of studies comparing the learning behaviors and performance of students with different personality traits during the pre, during, and post-COVID-19 lockdown periods. This study fills this gap by analyzing the differences in academic metrics, such as class grades and assignment submissions, among students with varying personality traits during different lockdown periods. Our research, based on a dataset of 282 graduate students in the USA, identified correlations and patterns between lockdown periods, personality traits, and academic metrics. For example, the class grades and the rate of late submissions were affected by different lockdown periods. Students with lower degree in extraversion and agreeableness made less attempts in assignment submissions. These findings can assist educators in identifying impacted students and developing effective teaching strategies at early stage in future incidents.

How successful the online assessment techniques in distance learning have been, in contributing to academic achievements of management undergraduates?

The implementation of online teaching and assessments was prompted by the current COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, all universities had to adopt the distance-learning method as the only choice to continue education delivery. This study's main objective is to understand the effectiveness of assessment techniques followed through distance learning in Sri Lankan management undergraduates during COVID-19. Furthermore, utilizing a qualitative approach and thematic analysis for data analysis, semi-structured interviews with 13 management faculty lecturers selected through the purposive sample technique were used for data collection. The survey was conducted via an online questionnaire that was distributed to Sri Lankan undergraduates, and a total of 387 samples from management undergraduates were drawn for the quantitative data analysis using a simple random sampling technique. The study's main findings revealed that five online assessments are currently being utilized to evaluate management undergraduates' academic performance under distance learning, including online examinations, online presentations, online quizzes, case studies, and report submissions. In addition, this study statistically and with some qualitative empirical evidences in the existing literature proved that online examinations, online quizzes, and report submissions have a significant impact on undergraduates' academic performance. Further, this study also recommended that universities should implement procedures for online assessment techniques in order to assess the quality assurance of assessment techniques.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10639-023-11715-7.

Effects of a School-Based Garden Program on Academic Performance: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

School gardening programs have consistently been found to improve dietary behaviors in children. Although several quasi-experimental studies have also reported that school gardens can enhance academic performance, to date, no randomized controlled trial has been conducted to substantiate this.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the study was to examine the effects of Texas Sprouts (TX Sprouts), a gardening, nutrition, and cooking program vs control on academic performance in primarily low-income, Hispanic children.

DESIGN

This is a secondary analysis of the grade-level academic scores from schools that participated in the TX Sprouts program, a school-based cluster randomized controlled trial, consisting of 16 elementary schools that were randomly assigned to either the TX Sprouts intervention (n = 8 schools) or control (delayed intervention; n = 8 schools).

PARTICIPANTS/SETTING

Analysis included 16 schools with students in fourth and fifth grade in Austin, TX from 2016 to 2019 that had a majority Hispanic population and a majority of children participating in the free and reduced lunch program.

INTERVENTION

The intervention consisted of 18 one-hour gardening, nutrition, and cooking lessons taught in an outdoor teaching garden by trained educators throughout the academic year.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Texas Education Agency grade-level data for the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness were obtained via the Texas Education Agency website for the corresponding year of the intervention or control condition.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS PERFORMED

Repeated measures general linear models with pre- and post-intervention State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness scores as the dependent variable were run, adjusting for the percent of free and reduced lunch and school district as covariates.

RESULTS

Schools that received the TX Sprouts intervention had a 6.5-percentage-point increase in fourth-grade reading State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness scores compared with control schools (P = .047). There were no significant differences in reading scores for fifth grade students or math scores for either fourth- or fifth-grade students between groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Study findings provide evidence that school gardening programs may have some modest effects on academic achievement.

Evaluation of the effect of COVID-19 mandated shift to virtual teaching on medical students' performance at King Khalid University, Abha

Objectives

The rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic required populations in most parts of the world to take drastic precautions. Face-to-face teachings were suspended, and the teaching and learning process was shifted to the virtual mode. This was a formidable challenge for students, teachers, parents, guardians, and academic administrators. The main objective of this study was to assess the impact of the shift to virtual mode on medical students' academic performance in general and systemic pathology courses.

Methods

The grades achieved in a quiz and practical test taken before the shift to virtual classes were compared to another quiz and practical exam taken by the same groups of students after several weeks of virtual teaching. The paired t-test was conducted to test the hypotheses, and SPSS software was used for data analyses. A short electronic survey was designed and sent to the targeted students (N = 103). The targeted students were also surveyed to understand their experience with e-learning during this time.

Results

In total, 60% of the students reported their e-learning experience as valuable, and 84% prefer to have e-learning as part of the teaching and learning process even after normalcy is restored. The students' performance in the post-virtual tests was significantly better than that in the pre-virtual tests.

Conclusion

The virtual learning format was well received by the students and influenced their academic outcomes. Institutes should provide training sessions for staff and students to address potential education drawbacks and provide modern educational technologies and simulation labs to enhance the educational systems.

Inhibitory control as a significant predictor of academic performance in Chinese high schoolers

Studies investigating the relationship between cognitive function and academic performance have recently shifted focus from differences in intelligence to executive function. To date, these studies have focused disproportionately on samples recruited from Western countries, despite evidence in support of cultural differences in the development of executive function. To address this gap, the present study investigated whether differences in two dimensions of executive function, inhibitory and attentional control, could predict academic performance in a sample of Chinese adolescents (n = 42). Participants reported on demographic details and completed both the Simon task and Attention Network Test. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression controlling for gender, age, SES, English language proficiency, processing speed, and fluid intelligence. Results showed that one index of inhibitory control derived from non-cue trials on the Attention Network Test explained a significant amount of unique variance in academic performance. Our findings provide evidence that executive function, specifically inhibitory control, plays a significant role in academic performance.

Social media aids for business learning: A quantitative evaluation with the 5E instructional model

Social media use is widely accepted in higher education, connecting students' learning with daily life. Considering the potential of social media to revolutionize the whole spectrum of teaching and learning, this study examines social media usage of business school students of different majors and their perception of social media as learning aids through a quantitative online survey guided by the 5E instructional model, with 423 valid responses from students majoring in accounting, finance, and economics. Results indicated that respondents perceived social media as influential in helping them access study-related information. It facilitated comprehensive learning, information access, information sharing, and student communication with instructors. Significant differences in perceptions of using social media as aids for business learning were found among students of different demographics, including gender, education level, and residence, but not quite for different majors. While various studies have examined the use of social media in education, scant studies focus on business school students under the lens of the 5E instructional model, especially Asians.

Association of emotional and behavioral problems with sleep disturbance among Chinese adolescents: The moderation effect of academic performance

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to explore the association of emotional and behavioral problems with sleep disturbance among Chinese adolescents, and to test whether these associations vary with adolescents' academic performance.

METHODS

Data were from the 2021 School-based Chinese Adolescents Health Survey using a multistage, stratified-cluster, and random-sampling method to collect information from 22,684 middle school students in Guangdong Province, China.

RESULTS

Emotional problems (aOR = 1.34, 95 % CI = 1.32-1.36), conduct problems (aOR = 1.19, 95 % CI = 1.16-1.21), hyperactivity (aOR = 1.35, 95 % CI = 1.33-1.37), and peer problems (aOR = 1.06, 95 % CI = 1.04-1.09) were significantly associated with the increased risk of sleep disturbance among middle school students in Guangdong Province. The prevalence of sleep disturbance among adolescents was 29.4 %. There were significant interactions of emotional problems/conduct problems/peer problems/prosocial behavior with academic performance on sleep disturbance. Further stratification analyses by academic performance showed that adolescents with self-reported good academic performance had a higher risk of sleep disturbance than those students with self-reported average or poor academic performance.

LIMITATIONS

This study only included school students and used the cross-sectional design to preclude causality determination.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that emotional and behavioral problems elevate the risk of sleep disturbance in adolescents. Adolescent academic performance plays a modulating role in these above-mentioned significant associations for sleep disturbance.

Study smart - impact of a learning strategy training on students' study behavior and academic performance

Recent research shows the importance to teach students the self-regulated use of effective learning strategies at university. However, the effects of such training programs on students' metacognitive knowledge, use of learning strategies, and academic performance in the longer term are unknown. In the present study, all first-year pharmacology students from one university attended a learning strategy training program, i.e., the 'Study Smart program', in their first weeks. The 20% (n = 25) lowest scoring students on the first midterm received further support regarding their learning strategies. Results showed that all students gained accurate metacognitive knowledge about (in)effective learning strategies in the short- and long-term and reported to use less highlighting, less rereading, but more interleaving, elaboration, and distributed practice after the training program. Academic performance was compared to the prior cohort, which had not received the Study Smart program. While in the previous cohort, students in the top, middle, and bottom rank of midterm 1 stayed in these ranks and still differed significantly in the final exam, students in the Study Smart cohort that received the training program improved throughout the year and differences between ranks were significantly reduced. A learning strategy training program including a remediation track for lower performing students can thus support students to study more effectively and enhance equal chances for all students at university.

Optimal Steps for designing and implementing the extracurriculars through the integrative medical approach

Extracurriculars are those that fall outside the scope of the academic curriculum. The purpose of the work is to outline the steps of planning extracurriculars, practice these steps in the medical program, and evaluate these steps.

Methods

Using Kern's steps with some modifications, we did some extracurricular reforms. Assessment of the current situation/needs and identification of gaps have been occurred by a questionnaire that revealed low students' satisfaction (36.1%) about the current extracurriculars with points of weakness that have been addressed in the improvement plan. A list of extracurriculars was prepared and aligned with modules and learning outcomes. Allocation of resources and implementation of these extracurriculars were performed. The evaluation was done through a questionnaire that was fulfilled by 404 students.

Results

Students' satisfaction was 66.8% in the second questionnaire compared to 36% in the initial questionnaire with a significant association. Further analysis of the respondents who revealed satisfaction showed that 95 out of 140 (67.8%) were high-grade achievers, 88 out of 134 (65.7%) for moderate, and 87 out of 130 (66.9%) in low-grade achievers. A comparison of the student's satisfaction in the three phases revealed a significant p-value (0.004), but no significance in students' satisfaction within phases of the program between males and females.

Conclusion

Well-structured extracurriculars might contribute to the achievement of the mission, vision, and goals of the program. Extracurricular activities might be flexible and undergo periodic changes related to the nature of the curriculum. Following the cycle of developing extracurricular activities in designing, implementing, monitoring, evaluating, and reporting, the extracurricular activities will be more efficient in enhancing the learning climate and making the learning process more enjoyable, especially in a solid medical integrated curriculum.

Sluggish Cognitive Tempo (Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome) and Academic Functioning: A Systematic Review and Agenda for Future Research

The past two decades have witnessed substantial interest in sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT), a set of symptoms (e.g., excessive daydreaming, mental confusion, slowed behavior) distinct from attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other psychopathology symptoms. Despite evidence linking SCT to a range of functional outcomes, findings for academic functioning are unclear. The current review summarizes the literature on SCT and academic functioning and offers an agenda for future research. A systematic review was conducted to identify studies assessing SCT and academic outcomes, including academic impairments and performance, in childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. Sixty studies were retained (53 cross-sectional, 7 longitudinal) from 44 separate samples, with the majority (n = 32, 53%) assessing global ratings of academic impairment and fewer measuring specific academic domains or standardized achievement test scores. Findings were generally consistent in showing SCT to be correlated with global ratings of academic impairment, lower grades, and inconsistently associated with poorer math and reading scores. Findings were more mixed when controlling for ADHD symptoms, intelligence, and/or demographic factors. Overall, SCT is associated with poorer academic functioning, although inconsistencies and key limitations are common across studies. Ten directions for future research are offered to advance understanding of how SCT may be associated with or impact academic functioning.