Teachers' social support, somatic complaints and academic motivation in children and early adolescents

A longitudinal examination of school-related and mental health mediators linking emotion regulation to academic achievement

Emotion regulation is assumed to underlie academic achievement through different mechanisms (e.g., a positive orientation toward school and schoolwork, better mental health). However, few studies have contrasted these mediating mechanisms within a longitudinal analytic framework, which is necessary to determine which mechanism(s) are most likely to translate emotion regulation into academic success over time. The present study addressed this gap by examining whether children's emotion regulation capacities were associated with later academic achievement through school-related (i.e., school bonding and academic motivation) and mental health mediators (i.e., internalizing and externalizing symptoms). Participants included 300 4- and 8-year-old children (n = 150 in each age cohort; 50% female) and their caregivers from Canada. Measures were collected over 4 years. Path analyses indicated that higher emotion regulation (T1; age 4/8 years) was associated with better academic achievement 3 years later (T4; age 7/11 years) through stronger school bonding and lower internalizing symptoms in the interim (T2; age 5/9 years; the indirect effect through internalizing symptoms held after controlling for initial levels of internalizing symptoms). Significant effects were derived from both caregiver and child informants when applicable and indirect effects held across age cohorts and genders. Findings highlight the interplay of social-emotional, academic, and mental health development across childhood, as well as the potential benefits of extending academic interventions to the social-emotional and mental health domains.

The relationship between social support and academic engagement among university students: the chain mediating effects of life satisfaction and academic motivation

BACKGROUND

University students' academic engagement has a significant impact on their academic performance and career development.

METHODS

In order to explore the influential mechanisms of social support on university students' academic engagement and the mediating role of academic motivation and life satisfaction, this study used the Adolescent Social Support Scale, University Students' Academic Engagement Scale Questionnaire, Adolescent Student Life Satisfaction Scale and University Students' Academic Motivation Questionnaire, to conduct a questionnaire survey and empirical analysis on 2106 Chinese university students.

RESULTS

(1) social support significantly and positively predicts academic engagement; (2) social support influences academic engagement through the mediating effect of life satisfaction; (3) social support influences academic engagement through the mediating effect of academic motivation; (4) life satisfaction and academic motivation play a chain mediating role in the effect of social support on academic engagement.

CONCLUSIONS

This study contributes to understanding the underlying mechanisms of the relationship between social support and academic engagement, which in turn provides insights for universities and the departments concerned to make measures to improve the level of university students' academic engagement.

Academic Motivation and Social Support: Mediating and Moderating the Life Satisfaction and Learning Burnout Link

Background

The phenomenon of university students' learning burnout has attracted the research of many scholars because of its typicality. This study aims to explore the relationship between life satisfaction, academic motivation, social support and learning burnout among university students and its underlying mechanisms.

Methods

A total of 1917 university students participated in this cross-sectional study. Research instruments included the Adolescent Student Life Satisfaction Scale, University Students' Academic Motivation Questionnaire, Adolescent Learning Burnout Scale and Adolescent Social Support Scale. The data analysis comprised descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, and assessment of multicollinearity through Variance Inflation Factor (VIF). Advanced analyses were conducted using Model 4 for mediation and Model 1 for moderation from the PROCESS macro.

Results

(1) life satisfaction significantly and positively predicts academic motivation; (2) academic motivation significantly and negatively predicts learning burnout; and (3) life satisfaction significantly and negatively predicts learning burnout; (4) academic motivation partially mediates the effect of life satisfaction on learning burnout; and (5) social support plays a moderating role in the effect of academic motivation on learning burnout.

Discussions

These results illuminate the complex web of relationships among life satisfaction, academic motivation, social support, and learning burnout. The partial mediating role of academic motivation underscores its significance in the link between life satisfaction and learning burnout. Additionally, the moderating impact of social support emphasizes its role in ameliorating or exacerbating the effects of academic motivation on learning burnout.

Conclusion

These findings can help researchers and educators better understand the underlying mechanisms between life satisfaction and learning burnout. Meanwhile, the results of the study can provide practical and effective operational suggestions for preventing and intervening in university students' learning burnout and improving their academic motivation.

Adolescents’ Family Socioeconomic Status, Teacher–Student Interactions, and Career Ambivalence/Adaptability: A Three-Wave Longitudinal Study

Using three-wave longitudinal data, this study tested the potential mediating roles of teacher–student relationship quality and teachers’ career support efficacy in the association between Chinese adolescents’ family socioeconomic status (SES) and career development ( N = 1410). Results showed that adolescents’ family SES at Wave 1 was negatively associated with their career ambivalence at Wave 3 via positive associations with both teacher–student relationship quality and teachers’ career support efficacy at Wave 2. Moreover, adolescents’ family SES at Wave 1 was positively related to career adaptability at Wave 3 via its positive association with teachers’ career support efficacy at Wave 2. This study highlighted the important role of teacher–student interaction in adolescents’ career development.

Social support and well-being of adolescents in worst-stricken areas 10 years after Wenchuan Earthquake: A mediating role of resilience

The purpose of this current study is to find the characteristics and influence mechanism of the perceived social support (PSS) and general well-being (GWB) of adolescents and to explore the mediating role of resilience on the relationship between PSS and GWB in the worst-stricken areas 10 years after the Wenchuan Earthquake. This study was conducted in two secondary schools in Beichuan (N = 1969) using the Perceived Social Support Scale, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and the General Well-Being Scale. Results showed that PSS of adolescents in the worst-stricken area significantly decreased compared to 10 years ago and their current PSS was lower than their peers' in developed cities. Significant correlations were observed between PSS, resilience, and GWB. PSS significantly predicted resilience and GWB, and resilience significantly predicted GWB with resilience having a partially mediating effect ratio of 16.39% between PSS and GWB. These results indicated that PSS not only directly affected GWB but also had a mediated effect on GWB through resilience. The present results suggest that interventions to strengthen resilience and social networks could be effective ways to enhance adolescents' general well-being.

The Relationship between Physical Activity Levels, Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Academic Achievement School-Age Children from Southern Spain

The relationship between physical activity (PA), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and academic achievement in young people is unclear. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between PA, CRF and academic achievement in 152 children according to sex (average age of 8.6 ± 0.3 years) in southern Spain. A tri-axial accelerometer was used to measure PA; the 20-m Shuttle Run Test was performed to assess the CRF; and to know the academic achievement, the official school records were considered. The results showed a weak correlation between moderate PA and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) with CRF in boys (all, 0.2 > r < 0.4; p < 0.05), whereas the vigorous PA showed a moderate and weak correlation with CRF (all, p < 0.05), in both boys (r = 0.537) and girls (r = 0.382), respectively. In addition, a weak inverse correlation between moderate PA and MVPA with academic achievement showed in girls (all, 0.2 > r < 0.4; p < 0.05). Finally, the CRF weakly correlated with academic achievement only in boys (all, 0.2 > r < 0.4; p < 0.05). Our study showed a relationship between PA and CRF in both sexes. Nonetheless, the PA was inversely related to academic achievement in girls, whereas the CRF was related to academic achievement in boys.