Interrelationship Amongst University Student Perceived Learning Burnout, Academic Self-Efficacy, and Teacher Emotional Support in China's English Online Learning Context

Managing online learning burnout via investigating the role of loneliness during COVID-19

BACKGROUND

Learning burnout, which is a negative state of learning and seriously reduces learning engagement, has become more prevalent in online instruction. Especially during the COVID-19, loneliness during the online learning has attracted a great deal of attention from researchers, who have found that it exacerbates the risk of social media addiction and increase rates of depression. However, the relationship between loneliness and academic burnout in online formal learning has not been well explored in previous studies. Therefore, the present study explores whether and to what extent loneliness suffered by students in online formal learning triggers academic burnout, and whether there are factors that buffer the effects of loneliness on academic burnout, thus filling the gap in the current research.

METHODS

Using self-reported data from 618 college students from central China through convenience sampling, this paper used hierarchical linear regression to test the direct effect of loneliness on learning burnout. Three moderation was conducted to reveal the role that 3 interesting factors (academic buoyancy, social presence and online learning duration) play in the relationship between loneliness and online learning burnout.

RESULTS

We found that loneliness triggered burnout in online learning, while social presence relieve burnout. However, academic buoyancy, social presence and online learning duration cannot buffer against the online learning burnout caused by loneliness.

CONCLUSIONS

Loneliness in online learning should not be ignored, as it can cause different degrees of learning burnout, no matter whether learners have high or low academic buoyancy and social presence. Future research should continue to investigate how to alleviate loneliness in online learning.

The relationship between Freshman students' mental health and academic achievement: chain mediating effect of learning adaptation and academic self-efficacy

The relationship between the mental health and academic achievement of college students is not only related to their individual growth and development but also has a profound impact on the quality of higher education and the cultivation of social talent. Understanding the interaction and influencing mechanisms between mental health and academic achievement can help individuals adjust learning and psychological states and achieve a virtuous cycle between mental health and academic achievement. A survey was conducted on 3871 freshmen using the Symptom Check-List-90 (SCL-90), Academic Self-efficacy Scale (ASES), China College Student Adjustment Scale (CCSAS), and basic quality assessment scores. The results showed that (1) Mental health is significantly correlated with learning adaptation, academic self-efficacy, and academic achievement, and mental health can significantly negatively predict academic achievement; (2) Learning adaptation partially mediates the relationship between mental health and academic self-efficacy; Academic self-efficacy plays a complete mediating role between mental health and academic achievement; (3) Learning adaptation and academic self-efficacy play a chain mediated role between mental health and academic achievement. Therefore, schools can enhance the cultivation of students' psychological qualities, cultivate their adaptability to changes in learning environments and learning methods, and systematically enhance the cultivation of students' academic self-efficacy to improve their academic achievements.

School Connectedness and Academic Burnout in Middle School Students: A Multiple Serial Mediation Model

Higher levels of school connectedness are associated with better study habits, but their relationship with academic burnout and the underlying mechanisms have not been revealed. We used a questionnaire to investigate the relationship between school connectedness and academic burnout and the mediating mechanisms of burnout in a sample of 394 Chinese middle school students, controlling for class, gender, and grade level. The results revealed that (1) school connectedness, autonomous motivation to learn, and core self-evaluations were significantly negatively related to academic burnout; and that (2) academic self-handicapping, core self-evaluations, and autonomous motivation to learn individually mediated the effects of school connectedness on academic burnout and mediated the effects of multiple factors. Therefore, educators should pay attention to the emotional needs of junior high school students, increase the level of school connectedness, consciously help students cultivate positive psychological factors such as autonomous motivation and core self-evaluations, reduce academic self-handicapping, increase their learning pleasure, and alleviate junior high school students' academic burnout.

Investigating learning burnout and academic performance among management students: a longitudinal study in English courses

This study aims to move away from the cross-sectional approach related to burnout and conduct a longitudinal study to explore the factors influencing learning burnout among management students. The study primarily adopts a questionnaire survey, with students majoring in business management. Descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling (SEM) are used to analyze the data and validate the hypotheses. The findings are: (1) There is a significant negative relationship between English anxiety and self-efficacy and a significant positive relationship between past English learning performance and self-efficacy. (2) The changes in self-efficacy are negatively related to the changes in burnout, while the changes in workload are positively related to the changes in burnout. Additionally, there is a positive relationship between English anxiety and learning burnout. (3) There is a significant negative relationship between English learning performance and burnout. The direct impact of self-efficacy on English learning performance is not supported, but it has an indirect effect through the mediating role of burnout. The study proposes strategies to improve student outcomes and well-being: (1) making English courses more engaging to boost performance and confidence, reducing learning burnout; (2) encouraging and supporting students to enhance self-efficacy and motivation; (3) assigning tasks seen as useful and interesting to lessen perceived workload and emotional exhaustion; (4) and considering English anxiety in admissions to decrease learning burnout, especially as schools gain more autonomy in their policies.

Identification of factors affecting student academic burnout in online education during the COVID-19 pandemic using grey Delphi and grey-DEMATEL techniques

The coronavirus outbreak caused most education institutions to shift to online education. One of the consequences of the pandemic and spread of online education was the prevalence of academic burnout among students has been students' academic burnout. Accordingly, it is necessary to identify the influential factors to reduce burnout. This study aimed to identify the factors affecting academic burnout and their cause-effect relationships. For this purpose, to conduct the gray Delphi technique, a questionnaire was administered to a randomly selected sample consisted of 86 graduate students of the Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch. In addition, a randomly selected sample of 37 graduate students filled a matrix questionnaire Collected data were analyzed using the Gray-DEMATEL technique. As a result of Gray Delphi screening, out of the 43 sub-factors identified, six sub-factors were eliminated and 37 sub-factors in 7 main factors were determined as factors affecting students' academic burnout. Analysis of the collected data using the Grey-DEMATEL technique revealed that among the seven main factors, Technology infrastructure, institutional facilities, and faculty characteristics are in the net cause category, respectively. The classroom environment and course structure, the social-emotional factor, the characteristics of students, and the home and family environment are in the net effect category. Technology infrastructure is the most influential factor that affects other factors. Identifying effective factors and the causal relationships between them have significant implications for policymakers and academic planners to prevent and reduce student burnout in online environment by focusing on the most influential factors.

The relationship between teacher care behavior and EFL learning anxiety: the chain mediation effect of learning engagement and learning strategies

This study aims to discuss the impact of teacher care behavior on EFL learning anxiety, as well as the mediating role of learning engagement and learning strategies. The Process plugin Model6 was used to measure the interaction between teacher care behavior (TCB), EFL learning anxiety (EFLLA), learning engagement (LE), and English learning strategies (ELS), in order to analyze and summarize their impact characteristics on college students' EFL learning anxiety. The results show that teacher care behavior has a direct impact on EFL learning anxiety and a significant negative predictive effect on it. Learning engagement and English learning strategies play a mediating and chain mediating role between teacher care behavior and EFL learning anxiety. Thus, it can be seen that these factors can help reduce EFL learning anxiety, manifested in aspects such as mood, cognition, emotion, and behavior. Given the research findings, this study further provides suggestions for alleviating college students' EFL learning anxiety, optimizing English teaching and learning design, and cultivating English learning strategies for college students.

Critical Thinking, Generalized Anxiety in Satisfaction with Studies: The Mediating Role of Academic Self-Efficacy in Medical Students

BACKGROUND

The academic and emotional challenges faced by medical students can affect critical thinking and may also contribute to the development of increased generalized anxiety. Similarly, critical thinking and generalized anxiety can impact study satisfaction through the mediating mechanism of academic self-efficacy.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to assess the mediating role of academic self-efficacy between critical thinking and generalized anxiety in study satisfaction among medical students.

METHODS

A cross-sectional and explanatory study was conducted involving 259 Peruvian medical students aged between 18 and 35 (M = 20.29, SD = 2.84). The evaluation was based on self-reported questionnaires covering critical thinking, generalized anxiety, academic self-efficacy, and study satisfaction. Furthermore, a structural equation modeling (SEM) and mediation approach was employed to examine the relationships between variables.

RESULTS

The results showed an adequate fit of the model [χ2 (87) = 155, p < 0.001, CFI = 0.93, TLI = 0.92, RMSEA = 0.05 (CI: 0.04-0.07), SRMR = 0.07], demonstrating the impact of critical thinking and generalized anxiety. It was confirmed that academic self-efficacy has a positive effect on study satisfaction. Moreover, the mediating role of academic self-efficacy was confirmed between critical thinking and study satisfaction, as well as between generalized anxiety and study satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS

Due to the high academic load on medical students, academic self-efficacy plays a mediating role in the relationship between critical thinking, generalized anxiety, and satisfaction with studies. The development of educational strategies will help to promote critical thinking and academic self-efficacy, as well as provide support to students with generalized anxiety, to enhance study satisfaction.

Social support in class and learning burnout among Chinese EFL learners in higher education: Are academic buoyancy and class level important?

The prevalence and adverse effects of learning burnout are a major concern in higher education. Based upon JD-R and COR theories, this study modeled the associations among social support that teachers and peers provide in class, academic buoyancy, learning burnout, and class level with respect to the degree of English proficiency. A sample of 1955 Chinese EFL learners in higher education participated in the cross-sectional survey. Structural equation modelling via partial least squares technique was utilized for statistical analysis. The results corroborated the protecting role that social support in class played against EFL students' learning burnout. In particular, the findings revealed that academic buoyancy both mediated and moderated the nexus between social support on EFL learners' burnout. Moreover, this study found that class level with respect to English proficiency moderated the relation between academic buoyancy and learning burnout and that the negative impact of academic buoyancy on burnout increased in classes in which students had lower English proficiency. Based upon the findings, certain targeted suggestions for educational practice were provided.