Youth well-being predicts later academic success

The mediating role of loneliness in the relationship between smartphone addiction and subjective well-being

As smartphones become increasingly prevalent worldwide, the relationship between smartphone addiction and subjective well-being has become a focal point in academic circles. Prior research predominantly delved into the direct correlation between smartphone addiction and subjective well-being, yet there remains a dearth in exploring its underlying mechanisms. This study investigated the mediating role of loneliness in the relationship between smartphone addiction and subjective well-being among Chinese university students. Conducted across 16 universities in eight provinces and municipalities in China, this study encompassed 1527 university students. Data collection utilized scales measuring smartphone addiction, loneliness, and subjective well-being. The findings revealed that: (1) demographic variables such as place of origin, educational level, and family income influenced university students' subjective well-being; (2) a significant negative correlation existed between smartphone addiction and subjective well-being among university students, coupled with a significant positive correlation between smartphone addiction and loneliness, indicating the significant negative predictive effect of smartphone addiction on subjective well-being; (3) loneliness partially mediated the relationship between smartphone addiction and subjective well-being among university students, suggesting that smartphone addiction could directly impact university students' subjective well-being, or indirectly through its effect on loneliness.

Psychological wellbeing in Chinese university students: insights into the influences of academic self-concept, teacher support, and student engagement

Objective

This study investigates the complex interplay between academic self-concept, teacher support, student engagement, and psychological wellbeing among Chinese university students. We aimed to elucidate the mediating role of student engagement in these relationships.

Methods

A sample of 597 Chinese undergraduate students from diverse universities participated in the study. We employed structured questionnaires to assess academic self-concept, teacher support, student engagement, and psychological wellbeing. Confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modeling were used to test our hypothesized model.

Results

Structural equation modeling indicated that the partial mediation model, which considered both direct and indirect effects, outperformed full mediation and direct effect models. Student engagement significantly mediated the relationships between academic self-concept, teacher support, and psychological wellbeing. Importantly, teacher support demonstrated a direct impact on psychological wellbeing, even when accounting for the mediating role of student engagement.

Conclusion

This study underscores the pivotal role of student engagement as a mediator in the relationship between academic self-concept, teacher support, and psychological wellbeing among Chinese university students. While student engagement plays a substantial mediating role, our findings also recognize the persistent direct influence of teacher support on psychological wellbeing. These insights have implications for educators and policymakers aiming to enhance the wellbeing of university students by fostering positive academic self-concept and teacher support while recognizing the importance of student engagement.

Effect of Extracurricular After-School Physical Activities on Academic Performance of Schoolchildren: A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance

The beneficial effects of increasing outdoor physical activity time on children's myopia onset and physical well-being are widely acknowledged. However, in countries with competitive educational systems, such as China, parents and school administrators may be relatively reluctant to increase the extracurricular physical activity time for children due to concerns that this action will compromise children's academic performance.

Objective

To investigate whether additional extracurricular physical activity time after school compromises the academic performance of schoolchildren.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cluster randomized clinical trial was conducted from October 2020 to June 2021 in Yudu, Jiangxi, China. Eligible children in grades 3 and 4 from 24 elementary schools were randomized to the intervention or control group. Primary analysis was conducted in the full sample using the intention-to-treat principle.

Interventions

The intervention group received 2 hours of after-school physical activity time outdoors on school days. The control group was free to arrange their after-school activity.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary outcome was the between-group mean difference in mathematics test scores at the end of 1 academic year, with a noninferiority margin of -3.3 points. Standardized mathematics tests, physical fitness assessments (in reference to the 2018 National Physical Fitness Survey Monitoring Programme in China), and cycloplegic autorefraction were performed at baseline and the end of 1 academic year. Myopia was defined as a cycloplegic spherical equivalent refraction of -0.5 diopters or less in either eye.

Results

A total of 2032 children (mean [SD] age, 9.22 [0.62] years; 1040 girls [51.2%]) from 24 schools were randomized to the intervention group (12 schools; 1012 children) or control group (12 schools; 1020 children). The mean (SD) mathematics score at the end of 1 academic year was 78.01 (17.56) points in the intervention group and 77.70 (17.29) points in the control group. The adjusted between-group mean difference was 0.65 points (95% CI, -2.85 to 4.15). The adjusted between-group mean difference in physical fitness score was 4.95 points (95% CI, 3.56-6.34; P < .001) and -1.90% (95% CI, -18.72% to 14.91%; P > .99) in myopia incidence.

Conclusions and Relevance

Results of this trial indicate that, compared with the control practice of free play after school, adding 2 hours of extracurricular physical activity outdoors after school was noninferior in academic performance and had superior efficacy in improving physical fitness.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04587765.

School climate, school identification and student outcomes: A longitudinal investigation of student well-being

BACKGROUND

Schools are increasingly recognized as key facilitators of child and youth well-being. Much attention has been directed to the school social environment and the areas of school climate or school connectedness/identification. Drawing on the social identity approach and related work, it has been argued that school social identification may be the mechanism or process through which school climate comes to impact individual student functioning (Applied Psychology, 28, 2009, 171). Much of the previous research on social identity and well-being, though, is limited because it is cross-sectional.

AIMS, SAMPLE & METHODS

This current study aims to advance understanding of the relationships between school climate, school identification and positive and negative well-being. It adopts a three-wave longitudinal sample of Australian students (N = 6537 wave 3, grades 7-10) and incorporates a range of control variables. Multilevel modelling (MLM) is used to test relationships of interest.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

In line with predictions, school identification was a significant mediator of the relationship between school climate and the well-being dimensions of positive affect and depression (but not anxiety). The substantial theoretical and practical implications of this research are discussed, including the role of the school social environment in helping young people successfully transition to adulthood.

What Constitutes Student Well-Being: A Scoping Review Of Students' Perspectives

Student well-being has recently emerged as a critical educational agenda due to its wide-reaching benefits for students in performing better at school and later as adults. With the emergence of student well-being as a priority area in educational policy and practice, efforts to measure and monitor student well-being have increased, and so has the number of student well-being domains proposed. Presently, a lack of consensus exists about what domains are appropriate to investigate and understand student well-being, resulting in a fragmented body of work. This paper aims to clarify the construct of student well-being by summarising and mapping different conceptualisations, approaches used to measure, and domains that entail well-being. The search of multiple databases identified 33 studies published in academic journals between 1989 and 2020. There were four approaches to conceptualising student well-being found in the reviewed studies. They were: Hedonic, eudaimonic, integrative (i.e., combining both hedonic and eudaimonic), and others. Results identified eight overarching domains of student well-being: Positive emotion, (lack of) Negative emotion, Relationships, Engagement, Accomplishment, Purpose at school, Intrapersonal/Internal factors, and Contextual/External factors. Recommendations for further research are offered, including the need for more qualitative research on student well-being as perceived and experienced by students and for research to be conducted in a non-western context.