The role of health demands, health resources, and adaptability in psychological strain and life satisfaction

The present study harnessed job demands-resources theory to identify key predictors of psychological strain (feeling overwhelmed by one's problems) and life satisfaction among a sample of 1060 adults randomly selected from the Australian electoral roll. The investigation sought to ascertain: (a) the relative contribution of health demands (e.g., inadequate health treatment) and health resources (e.g., access to helpful health-related information) in predicting psychological strain and life satisfaction, (b) the extent to which a recently proposed personal resource-adaptability-explained variance in wellbeing beyond individuals' health demands and resources, and (c) the role of psychological strain in predicting life satisfaction in the context of these demands and resources. Applying structural equation modelling we found that contextual health demands predicted greater psychological strain, individual health resources and adaptability both predicted lower psychological strain and greater life satisfaction, and psychological strain predicted lower life satisfaction. Notably, the adverse effects of health demands reduced significantly when health resources and adaptability were entered into the modelling. Taken together, the findings offer support for a health demands-resources framework that may be applied to better support individuals to respond to the stressors in their lives and in turn boost their sense of subjective wellbeing.

Teacher well-being and turnover intentions: Investigating the roles of job resources and job demands

BACKGROUND

Identifying factors implicated in teachers' well-being and turnover intentions is important for driving research, policy, and practice to better support teachers in their work.

AIMS

This study examined the role of three job resources (autonomy-supportive leadership, relatedness with colleagues and students) and three job demands (autonomy-thwarting leadership, time pressure, disruptive student behaviour) in relation to teacher well-being (subjective vitality, behavioural engagement, professional growth) and turnover intentions.

SAMPLE

Participants were 426 Australian school teachers.

METHODS

Structural equation modelling was used to examine main associations and interactions among factors. Teachers' characteristics (gender, teaching experience and educational qualification) and personality factors served as controls in all analyses.

RESULTS

The job resources were generally positively associated with the well-being factors, whereas time pressure was negatively associated with vitality, but positively associated with behavioural engagement. In addition, relatedness with colleagues and subjective vitality were negatively associated with turnover intentions, whereas the reverse was true for autonomy-thwarting leadership and time pressure. There were no interaction terms retained in the final model.

CONCLUSION

Taken together, findings yield understanding about the salient resources and demands in relation to teachers' well-being and turnover intentions (beyond the role of background characteristics and personality factors).

University students in COVID-19 lockdown: The role of adaptability and fluid reasoning in supporting their academic motivation and engagement

This study drew on Job Demands-Resources theory and data from 500 Australian university students to investigate the role of COVID-related lockdown, perceived adaptability, and fluid reasoning in students' self-efficacy-and the role of these factors in students' engagement and disengagement. Lockdown was associated with higher disengagement; perceived adaptability was associated with higher self-efficacy; and both perceived adaptability and fluid reasoning were significantly and positively associated with engagement. Self-efficacy significantly mediated the relationship between perceived adaptability and engagement and disengagement, while moderation tests revealed that fluid reasoning yielded a significant positive role for the self-efficacy of students in lockdown. These findings shed light on factors during COVID-19 that are implicated in students' academic development and provide direction for psycho-educational interventions.

Disentangling motivation and engagement: Exploring the role of effort in promoting greater conceptual and methodological clarity

Conflation over motivation and engagement has historically impeded research and practice. One reason for this is because definition and measurement have often been too general or diffuse-especially in the case of engagement. Recently conceptual advances aimed at disentangling facets of engagement and motivation have highlighted a need for better psychometric precision-particularly in the case of engagement. To the extent that engagement is inadequately assessed, motivation research involving engagement continues to be hampered. The present study investigates multidimensional effort (a specific facet of engagement) and how it relates to motivation. In particular, we examine the associations between specific positive and negative motivation factors and dimensions of effort, thereby shedding further insight into how different types of motivation interplay with different types of engagement. Drawing on data from a sample of 946 Australian high school students in 59 mathematics classrooms at five schools, this study hypothesized a tripartite model of academic effort in terms of operative, cognitive, and social-emotional dimensions. A novel nine-item self-report Effort Scale measuring each of the three factors was developed and tested for internal and external validity-including its relationship with multidimensional motivation. Multilevel confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to test the factor structure and validity of multidimensional effort. Additionally, doubly-latent multilevel structural equation models were conducted to explore the hypothesized motivation → engagement (effort) process, and the role of student- and classroom-level background attributes as predictors of both motivation and effort. Results supported the hypothesized model of tripartite effort and its distinctiveness from motivation, and showed that key dimensions of motivation predicted effort at student- and classroom-levels. This study provides implications and suggestions for future motivation research and theorizing by (1) establishing evidence for the validity of a novel engagement framework (multidimensional effort), and (2) supporting future measurement and practice in academic engagement juxtaposed with multidimensional motivation-critical for better understanding engagement, and motivation itself.

Social-emotional need satisfaction, prosocial motivation, and students' positive behavioral and well-being outcomes

This study investigated the extent to which students’ social-emotional basic psychological need satisfaction (of social-emotional autonomy, social competence, relatedness with students, and relatedness with teachers) is associated with their prosocial motivation and, in turn, behavioral and emotional well-being outcomes. For motivation, autonomous prosocial motivation and controlled prosocial motivation (by way of introjected and external regulation) were examined. Behavioral outcomes comprised prosocial behavior and conduct problems reported by parents/carers, and emotional well-being were positive and negative affect reported by students. With data from 408 secondary school students (and their parents/carers), structural equation modeling showed that perceived autonomy was associated with lower negative affect. Perceived social competence was associated with greater autonomous prosocial motivation, lower external prosocial regulation, greater positive affect, and lower negative affect. Relatedness with teachers was associated with greater autonomous prosocial motivation. In turn, autonomous prosocial motivation was associated with greater prosocial behavior, whereas external prosocial regulation was associated with lower prosocial behavior. Introjected prosocial regulation was only associated with greater negative affect. The results hold implications for promoting social and emotional competence among students.

Adaptability and High School Students' Online Learning During COVID-19: A Job Demands-Resources Perspective

The present study investigated the role of adaptability in helping high school students navigate their online learning during a period of COVID-19 that entailed fully or partially remote online learning. Drawing on Job Demands-Resources theory and data from a sample of 1,548 Australian high school students in nine schools, we examined the role of adaptability in predicting students’ online learning self-efficacy in mathematics and their end of year mathematics achievement. It was found that beyond the effects of online learning demands, online and parental learning support, and background attributes, adaptability was significantly associated with higher levels of online learning self-efficacy and with gains in later achievement; online learning self-efficacy was also significantly associated with gains in achievement—and significantly mediated the relationship between adaptability and achievement. These findings confirm the role of adaptability as an important personal resource that can help students in their online learning, including through periods of remote instruction, such as during COVID-19.

A Multilevel Person-Centered Examination of Teachers' Workplace Experiences: Replication and Extension With Links to Instructional Support and Achievement

In a replication and extension of an earlier study, we relied on person-centered analyses to identify teacher (Level 1) and school (Level 2) profiles based on teachers' experiences of job demands (barriers to professional development, disruptive student behavior), job resources (teacher collaboration, input in decision-making), and personal resources (self-efficacy). We examined data from 5,439 teachers working in 364 schools in Australia and 2,216 teachers working in 149 schools in England. Latent profile analysis revealed six teacher profiles: Low-Demand-Flourisher (11%), Mixed-Demand-Flourisher (17%), Job-Resourced-Average (11%), Balanced-Average (14%), Mixed-Resourced-Struggler (11%), and Low-Resourced-Struggler (36%). Two school profiles were identified: an Unsupportive school profile (43%) and a Supportive school profile (57%). Several significant relations between these profiles and teacher/school characteristics and work-related outcomes were also identified at both levels. Although our results generally replicated prior findings, some differences were also observed, possibly as a results of recent changes in policies regarding in teacher support and accountability. Next, we extended prior work using a subsample of the Australian teachers for whom we had matching student data. This second set of results revealed that schools with a greater proportion of low-SES students were more likely to present an Unsupportive school profile. Moreover, the Supportive school profile was associated with higher levels of student-reported instructional support and school-average achievement in reading, mathematics, and science.

Assessing Instructional Cognitive Load in the Context of Students' Psychological Challenge and Threat Orientations: A Multi-Level Latent Profile Analysis of Students and Classrooms

To better understand instructional cognitive load, it is important to operationalize and assess it in novel ways that can reveal how different students perceive and experience this load as either challenging or threatening. The present study administered a recently developed instruction assessment tool-the Load Reduction Instruction Scale-Short (LRIS-S)-to N = 2,071 students in 188 high school science classrooms. Multilevel latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify student and classroom profiles based on students' reports of instructional cognitive load (load reduction instruction, LRI; using the LRIS-S) and their accompanying psychological challenge orientations (self-efficacy and growth goals), and psychological threat orientations (anxiety and failure avoidance goals). In phase 1 of analyses (investigating students; Level 1), we identified 5 instructional-psychological student profiles that represented different presentations of instructional load, challenge orientation, and threat orientation, ranging from the most maladaptive profile (the Instructionally-Overburdened & Psychologically-Resigned profile) to the most adaptive profile (Instructionally-Optimized & Psychologically-Self-Assured profile). The derived profiles revealed that similar levels of perceived instructional load can be accompanied by different levels of perceived challenge and threat. For example, we identified two profiles that were both instructionally-supported but who varied in their accompanying psychological orientations. Findings also identified profiles where students were dually motivated by both challenge and threat. In turn, these profiles (and their component scores) were validated through their significant associations with persistence, disengagement, and achievement. In phase 2 of analyses (investigating students and classrooms; Levels 1 and 2), we identified 3 instructional-psychological classroom profiles that varied in instructional cognitive load, challenge orientations, and threat orientations: Striving classrooms, Thriving classrooms, and Struggling classrooms. These three classroom profiles (and their component scores) were also validated through their significant associations with classroom-average persistence, disengagement, and achievement-with Struggling classrooms reflecting the most maladaptive outcomes and Thriving classrooms reflecting the most adaptive outcomes. Taken together, findings show that considering instructional cognitive load (and new approaches to empirically assessing it) in the context of students' accompanying psychological orientations can reveal unique insights about students' learning experiences and about important differences between classrooms in terms of the instructional load that is present.

A future time perspective of secondary school students' academic engagement and disengagement: A longitudinal investigation

Students' conceptions of their academic futures, such as completing secondary school, have been found to play a significant role in their current behavior. Indeed, research regarding future time perspectives (FTP) indicates that students with extended FTPs are likely to be more engaged and less disengaged over time. Extended FTPs comprise two critical motivating elements: the cognitive (i.e., importance value) and the dynamic (i.e., school completion aspirations). Although these elements are hypothetically reciprocally related and without temporal limitation to their motivational effects, these claims have largely gone untested. These claims were examined via longitudinal structural equation modelling with cross-lagged panel analysis and invariance testing in a sample of 1327 Australian secondary school students. Findings indicated that importance value is directionally salient over school completion aspirations (such that it may precede school completion aspirations), both are associated with higher engagement and lower disengagement over time, and evidence of temporal limitations on the motivational benefits of the elements of extended FTPs was not found. School-based interventions that focus on improving importance value and school completion aspirations are discussed.

Adaptability and Social Support: Examining Links With Psychological Wellbeing Among UK Students and Non-students

The purpose of this multi-study article was to investigate the roles of adaptability and social support in predicting a variety of psychological outcomes. Data were collected from Year 12 college students (N = 73; Study 1), university students (N = 102; Study 2), and non-studying members of the general public (N = 141; Study 3). Findings showed that, beyond variance attributable to social support, adaptability made a significant independent contribution to psychological wellbeing (life satisfaction, psychological wellbeing, flourishing, and general affect) and psychological distress across all studies. Beyond the effects of adaptability, social support was found to make a significant independent contribution to most wellbeing outcomes (but not psychological distress in university students). In a multi-group analysis comparing predictors of psychological wellbeing in university students and non-studying adults, where the same outcome measures were used (Study 4; N = 243), it was found that adaptability played a stronger role (relative to social support) for university students, whereas social support played a stronger role for non-studying adults. Finally, (contrary to expectations) there was no evidence of an interaction between adaptability and social support predicting psychological outcomes-adaptability and social support operated as independent main effects. These findings demonstrate the importance of adaptability and social support in uniquely predicting psychological wellbeing in different sample groups. It is argued here that these two factors, should be given greater consideration in discussions of psychological wellbeing, and are relevant to psychological wellbeing at different major developmental life stages.

A Multilevel Person-Centered Examination of Teachers' Workplace Demands and Resources: Links With Work-Related Well-Being

Teachers’ healthy and effective functioning at work is impacted by the demands they face and the resources they can access. In this study, person-centered analysis was adopted to identify distinct teacher profiles of demands and resources. We investigated teachers’ experiences of two job demands (barriers to professional development and disruptive student behavior), two job resources (teacher collaboration and input in decision-making), and one personal resource (self-efficacy for teaching). Using data from the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2013, the study involved 6,411 teachers from 369 schools in Australia and 2,400 teachers from 154 schools in England. In phase one, latent profile analysis revealed five teacher profiles that were similar across the two countries: the Low-Demand-Flourisher (12%), Mixed-Demand-Flourisher (17%), Job-Resourced-Average (34%), Balanced-Average (15%), and Struggler (21%). The profiles were differently associated with two background characteristics (teacher gender and teaching experience) and two work-related well-being outcomes (job satisfaction and occupational commitment). In phase two, we extended our analysis to the school-level to identify school profiles based on the relative prevalence of the five teacher profiles within a school. Indeed, a yield of large scale datasets such as TALIS is that there are sufficient units at the school-level to enable institutional insights, beyond insights garnered at the individual teacher-level. Two school profiles that were similar in both countries were revealed: the Unsupportive school profile (58%) and the Supportive school profile (42%). The Supportive school profile was associated with higher school-average teacher job satisfaction and occupational commitment than the Unsupportive school profile. Taken together, the findings yield knowledge about salient teacher and school profiles, and provide guidance for possible interventions at the teacher- and school level.

The development of social and emotional competence at school: An integrated model

The aim of the current article is to extend prior conceptualizing by presenting a model of social and emotional competence that recognizes both the mechanisms and the manifestations of social and emotional competence. The Social and Emotional Competence School Model draws together conceptual underpinnings from the social and emotional competence literature along with theoretical grounding from self-determination theory and applies this within the schooling context. Social and emotional competence is operationalized by way of three components: basic psychological need satisfaction (of autonomy, competence, and relatedness), autonomous motivation, and behaviors. In the model, the three components form an iterative process of social and emotional competence development. Need satisfaction promotes social–emotional autonomous motivation and, in turn, socially and emotionally competent behaviors. The behaviors then promote need satisfaction in an ongoing cycle. The associations identified in the iterative process are impacted by need-support within the social environment, and the associations influence and are influenced by individual differences and human development.

Long-term outcomes for large for gestational age infants born at term

AIM

Large for gestational age (LGA) babies have increased risks for short-term outcomes such as shoulder dystocia, neonatal hypoglycaemia and longer hospital stay. Little is known of long-term health, development and educational outcomes of LGA babies. The aim of this study was to determine the long-term health, mortality, development and educational outcomes for infants born LGA at term.

METHODS

A population-based record linkage study of live singletons born at term (37-41 weeks of gestation) in New South Wales, Australia, from 2001 to 2006.

RESULTS

This study compared 49 439 LGA (>90th percentile for birthweight, gestational age and sex) and 400 418 appropriate size for gestational age (AGA; 10th-90th percentile) infants. LGA infants had increased risk of birth and neonatal outcomes and hospitalisations, for brachial plexus injury after the neonatal period, and for all causes from 1 to 5 years of age. There were no differences in mortality up to 5 years of age or hospitalisations for type 1 diabetes in childhood. LGA infants had lower rates of developmental vulnerability (in kindergarten) and showed a significant trend (χ² for trend <0.0001) to fewer low scores and more high scores in reading and numeracy (in Year 3) compared with AGA. After adjusting for potential confounders, only the relative risk for higher reading scores was statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

LGA infants show positive long-term health, development and educational outcomes. Concerns for LGA infants still remain in the perinatal period as a result of birth trauma; however, these complications usually do not persist in postnatal and early childhood.

Cyberbullying and Cybervictimization Within a Cross-Cultural Context: A Study of Canadian and Tanzanian Adolescents

This study explored cyberbullying and cybervictimization (CBCV), for adolescents aged 11-15 from Tanzania (N = 426) and Canada (N = 592). Measurement invariance and model invariance was found for CBCV. In addition, multigroup structural equation modeling was used to explore several variables: age, gender, average hours online each day, accessing the Internet in a private location, having online privacy concerns, going online for social purposes, and motivation for cyberbullying. Results found interesting patterns within each country. It was found that cellphone ownership moderated the relation between these predictor variables and reported incidences of CBCV uniquely for each country. These findings provide evidence for the global nature of cyberbullying.

Students’ Growth Mindsets, Goals, and Academic Outcomes in Mathematics

Abstract. The majority of educational research on the associations between growth constructs and academic outcomes has adopted a somewhat piecemeal approach, focusing on either growth mindset (implicit beliefs about intelligence) or growth goals. We explore an integrative approach to analyzing the impact of well-established and emerging growth constructs (viz. growth mindset, self-based growth goals, task-based growth goals) on academic outcomes in mathematics. Our participants were secondary school students (n = 4,411) in grades 7–9 from 19 schools in Australia. We used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the measurement and substantive hypotheses in our study. We found that growth mindset, self-based growth goals, and task-based growth goals were well represented by an underlying growth orientation factor. Additionally, after controlling for five student background factors (e.g., sex, socioeconomic status [SES]), students’ growth orientation positively predicted mathematics engagement and achievement. These results contribute to the growing literature on educational growth constructs and academic success.

Personal best (PB) goal structure, individual PB goals, engagement, and achievement: A study of Chinese- and English-speaking background students in Australian schools

BACKGROUND

Prior cross-cultural research with students in different national contexts (Australia and China) has shown consistency in the extent to which individual personal best (PB) goals are associated with engagement at school.

AIMS

This study extends this work to a multicultural context, assessing perceived PB goal structure in school and individual PB goals among Chinese- and English-speaking background Australian high school students attending the same schools.

SAMPLE

A sample of 450 students (N = 225 Chinese-speaking background Australian students; N = 225 matched English-speaking background Australian students) from 20 schools.

METHOD

We conducted multigroup path modelling to examine the following process model: Perceived PB goal structure in school → individual PB goals → school engagement → academic achievement.

RESULTS

Findings showed that for both groups, perceived PB goal structure in school is associated with an individual's PB goals (and engagement), individual PB goals are associated with engagement, and engagement is associated with achievement. The indirect effects of perceived PB goal structure in school to achievement (via individual PB goals and engagement) and individual PB goals to achievement (via engagement) were also significant. Notably, there was no significant difference in parameters between Chinese- and English-speaking background students, suggesting generality of the effects of perceived PB goal structure in school and individual PB goals in the engagement and achievement process.

CONCLUSION

Findings hold implications for educators teaching to culturally diverse classrooms and seeking to optimize students' academic growth within these contexts.

Teacher Well-Being

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Teacher Well-Being Scale, which assesses three factors of teachers’ work-related well-being: workload, organizational, and student interaction well-being. With a sample of Canadian teachers, results confirmed the reliability, approximate normality, and factor structure of the scale; provided support for a higher order factor of teacher well-being; showed the instrument functioned similarly across different sociodemographic subgroups; and demonstrated the well-being factors were related as expected with external constructs of teacher stress, job satisfaction, and general well-being. Combined, these analyses provide support for the use of the instrument as an assessment of teacher well-being and evidence of the importance of teacher well-being for other teacher outcomes. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Academic buoyancy, student's achievement, and the linking role of control: A cross-lagged analysis of high school students

BACKGROUND

Previous research has indicated that although academic buoyancy and student's achievement are associated, the relationship is relatively modest.

AIMS

We sought to determine whether another construct might link academic buoyancy and student's achievement. Based on prior theoretical and empirical work, we examined a sense of control as one possible linking mechanism.

SAMPLE

The study analysed data from 2,971 students attending 21 Australian high schools.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-lagged panel design as a first means of disentangling the relative salience of academic buoyancy, control, and achievement (Phase 1). Based upon these results, we proceeded with follow-up analyses of an ordered process model linking the constructs over time (Phase 2).

RESULTS

Findings showed that buoyancy and achievement were associated with control over time, but not with one another (Phase 1). In addition, control appeared to play a role in how buoyancy influenced achievement and that a cyclical process may operate among the three factors over time (Phase 2).

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest that control may play an important role in linking past experiences of academic buoyancy and achievement to subsequent academic buoyancy and achievement.

Motivation and Engagement in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and China

This study explored motivation and engagement among North American (the United States and Canada; n = 1,540), U.K. ( n = 1,558), Australian ( n = 2,283), and Chinese ( n = 3,753) secondary school students. Motivation and engagement were assessed via students’ responses to the Motivation and Engagement Scale–High School (MES–HS). Confirmatory factor analysis using M plus found good fit for each of the four samples. Multi-group invariance tests demonstrated comparable factor structure, reliability, distributional properties, and correlations with a set of validational factors across the four groups. Results hold implications for international assessment of motivation and engagement, research, and data analysis.