True Grit in Learning Math: The Math Anxiety-Achievement Link Is Mediated by Math-Specific Grit

Developing and validating a Domain-specific Grit Scale for College Athletic Students

The aim of this study was to create and validate a ten-item Domain-specific Grit Scale for College Athletic Students (DGSCAS) to assess the level of grit among college athletic students. College athletic students from a single independent college located in a northern city in China (526 participants at time 1 and 589 participants at time 2) were assessed according to the scale. Various analyses were conducted in this study, including exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and measurement invariance analysis across different sex and birthplaces. The results of the EFA revealed two factors: consistency of interests and perseverance of effort. The CFA results demonstrated acceptable fit indices (x2 = 160.048, df = 34, x2/df = 4.707, CFI = 0.983, TLI = 0.978, SRMR = 0.021, and RMSEA = 0.079). The scale exhibited satisfactory convergent validity and discriminant validity. The significant correlation of these factors with the Grit scale provided strong evidence of criterion-related validity. Measurement invariance analysis indicated that the scale performed consistently across different sex and birthplaces. Three limitations and corresponding recommendations were discussed, including sample heterogeneity, the lack of a unified test result as a criterion for predictive validity, and the cross-sectional design of the study. In conclusion, the DGSCAS is a practical and validated instrument that can be used to assess the level of grit among college athletic students in an educational context.

Academic Self-Concept Wins the Race: The Prediction of Achievements in Three Major School Subjects by Five Subject-Specific Self-Related Variables

The importance of self-related constructs in predicting academic achievement has been increasingly emphasized in recent decades. Typically, bivariate associations of self-related variables with achievements have been reported. Research quantifying the combined predictive power of more than two self-variables has been scarce. Moreover, except for the academic self-concept, these variables have almost always been measured across domains, i.e., without considering the specifics of individual school subjects. The current study aimed to statistically predict academic achievement (operationalized via school grades) in three major subjects (Chinese (native language), mathematics, and English (foreign language)) by using subject-tied scales, namely academic self-concept, conscientiousness, need for cognition, perseverance of effort, and consistency of interest. The sample comprised 791 Chinese adolescents. Each scale was related separately to each of the three school subjects. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were run. The control variable, biological sex, accounted for 2% of Chinese grades and 8% of English grades, but not of mathematics grades. Adding subject-specific self-concept scales increased the explained variance to 7% (Chinese), 16% (mathematics), and 32% (English). Further additions to the other four self-related scales did not increase the variances that were accounted for. The discussion underlines the relevance of subject-specific academic self-concepts as predictors for subject-tied academic achievements.

Academic Procrastination in Children and Adolescents: A Scoping Review

Academic procrastination is a persistent behavior in students' academic development consisting of postponing or delaying the completion of necessary tasks and having a deadline for completion, which is associated with detriment in performance, school dropout, and loss of student well-being. The largest body of existing knowledge on this behavior comes from studies conducted with university students, although it is necessary to deepen the findings obtained at lower educational levels. The aim of this work has been to carry out a scoping review of the empirical publications focused on academic procrastination in children and adolescents. The inclusion and exclusion criteria are detailed following the general guidelines of the Joanna Briggs Institute. However, some modifications are incorporated in the flowchart to guide the review sequence. The search was conducted in eleven thematic (ERIC, MedLine, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, PsycINFO, PubPsych, and Teacher Reference Center) and multidisciplinary databases (Academic Search Ultimate, E-Journals, ProQuest, Scopus, and Web of Science) to identify relevant publications up to 2022, including grey literature. Out of the initial 1185 records screened, a total of 79 records were selected. The search results included a total of 79 records. The most used assessment instruments, the most studied variables, and the type of design and sources of information used in the selected studies are detailed. Cultural aspects that open new lines of future research are identified.

Antecedents and Consequences of Grit Among Working Adults: A Transpersonal Psychology Perspective

Positive psychology has paved the way for newer and more informed ideas of living a meaningful, integrated and well-rounded quality of living. The current era of the pandemic has also moulded the ways in which individuals perceive their quality of life and how they want to integrate a holistic approach towards their well-being. The workplace settings have seen tremendous changes in terms of how employers, employees and the organisations at large function and operate. The pre-pandemic concept of success has shifted its focus from hard work to developing grit among employees to increase the overall efficiency of the organisations. Grit has revolutionised the conventional standards of success, meaning in life and has impacted personal as well as occupational welfare. This integration of positive psychology and transpersonal psychology has catalysed the purpose for the current study. To help organisations and individuals thrive in their professional endeavours at the workplace and to provide them with relevant psychological tools to enhance their occupational growth, the present study has been conducted empirically to investigate the antecedents and consequences of grit among 209 working professionals in India. The results of this study indicate that the transpersonal capital of metacognition, flow, optimism and empathy have a significant role to play in developing grit among the participants. The findings have implications for enhancing job satisfaction and job performance of participants. The current research also provides a framework to organisations towards designing interventions for improving efficiency at the workplace.

Ansiedade matemática: Uma visão global acerca da sua origem, impacto e possíveis intervenções

Com o crescente interesse e avanços nas áreas das STEM, a matemática afigura-se como essencial para o percurso escolar e profissional das crianças e jovens. Providenciar uma visão global acerca do que é a ansiedade matemática, quais são as suas causas, as suas consequências, e como intervir nesta problemática, é o objetivo deste artigo com carácter de revisão bibliográfica. Pesquisaram-se trabalhos científicos nas bases de dados: B-on, Proquest Psychology Journals, PsyARTICLES. Destacámos investigações e informação recentes com particular interesse para a prática de psicologia e de ensino nos contextos escolares. A ansiedade matemática tem um impacto negativo no bem-estar e desempenho dos sujeitos, podendo influenciar as escolhas educativas e profissionais destes. O contexto social desempenha um papel crucial no desenvolvimento desta problemática. Em relação às diferenças de género, os resultados são díspares, pelo qual tentamos compreender as razões para tais evidências. Por fim, no campo da intervenção, ainda são poucas as evidências científicas, no entanto é possível extrair algumas conclusões e estratégias a partir destas.

Multiple Roles of Grit in the Relationship Between Interpersonal Stress and Psychological Security of College Freshmen

Grit, as an important positive psychological quality, has rarely been studied for its role involved in the mechanism between stress and psychological security. This article explores the moderating and mediating role of grit in the relationship between interpersonal stress and psychological security of freshmen through two studies. In study 1, freshmen from several Chinese universities (N = 1,224) were recruited to complete a battery of questionnaire, including assessments about interpersonal stress, grit, and psychological security. The moderating effect analysis showed that grit moderated the relationship between interpersonal stress and psychological security. Specifically, grit buffered the negative effects of interpersonal stress on freshmen’s psychological security, but this effect was obvious only when the level of interpersonal stress was relatively low, and decreased when the level of interpersonal stress was high. In study 2, college freshmen from another university apart from above ones (N = 604) were recruited, and we verified the results of study 1 and further explored the mediating role of grit in the relationship between interpersonal stress and security. The moderating effect analysis of study 2 also verified that of study 1. The mediating effect analysis showed that interpersonal stress not only negatively predicted psychological security, but also affected psychological security through the mediation of grit. In general, grit played a mediating and moderating role in the relationship between interpersonal stress and psychological security. This study provides first-hand evidence to explain the multiple roles of grit in the relationship between interpersonal stress and psychological security.

University freshmen's excessive smartphone use and psychological safety during the COVID-19 pandemic

Although excessive smartphone use has been confirmed as being associated with specific representations of mental health (e. g., anxiety, depression, wellbeing, etc.) throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the relationship between excessive smartphone use and cognitive representations of mental health (i.e., psychological safety) is not yet fully understood. This study aimed to identify the association between excessive smartphone use and psychological safety among university freshmen during the COVID-19 pandemic; in addition, we examined the mediation effects of hardiness and interpersonal distress in this relationship. In this study, 1,224 university freshmen were selected at random from several universities in Guizhou Province of China. The Psychological Safety Scale was used to evaluate the mental health of university freshmen; the Mobile Phone Dependence Scale was used to evaluate excessive smartphone use; the Hardiness Questionnaire was used to evaluate hardiness; and the Interpersonal Relation Synthetic Diagnose Test was used to evaluate interpersonal distress. The findings showed that: (1) the greater the degree of excessive smartphone use, the more serious respondents' interpersonal distress and the lower their hardiness; (2) excessive smartphone use was not only directly related to the psychological safety of university freshmen but also indirectly related to their psychological safety through the independent mediation of hardiness and interpersonal distress, as well as through the chain mediation of hardiness and interpersonal distress. In general, excessive smartphone use in university freshmen could lead to a decline in their psychological safety. Also, hardiness and interpersonal distress play a complex role in this relationship. During the COVID-19 pandemic, interventions on the mental health of college freshmen should not only provide guidance on how to use their smartphone responsibly but also to provide them with support and guidance for the enhancement of their hardiness and improvement of their interpersonal relationships.