scholarly journals Educational usage of Facebook and academic achievement in distance university students: Mediated by basic needs satisfaction

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sittipan Yotyodying ◽  
Swantje Dettmers ◽  
Kerstin Erdal ◽  
Kathrin Jonkmann
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
University Students ◽  
Resource Sharing ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Basic Needs ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Need Satisfaction ◽  
Needs Satisfaction ◽  
Different Types

AbstractFacebook has been widely used among students, not only for socializing, but also for educational purposes. However, it is much less clear whether educational usage of Facebook would be beneficial for student academic achievement, especially in distance education. This paper examined whether different types of educational usage of Facebook would be differentially connected with academic achievement of distance university students. Unlike previous studies, we distinguished between the quantity and the quality of educational usage of Facebook: The former is concerned with time spent, while the latter includes three types of educational utilities offered by Facebook (communication, collaboration, and resource sharing). Taking a self-determination theory perspective, we also examined whether the connection between different types of educational usage of Facebook and academic achievement would be mediated by basic needs satisfaction in distance study. A total of 274 distance university students participated in an online survey. A path analysis demonstrated that different types of educational usage of Facebook and academic achievement were not directly associated. However, a mediation analysis showed that competence need satisfaction (and no other needs) fully mediated some linkages: time spent to achievement, communication to achievement, and resource sharing to achievement. Findings and implications of this paper are discussed.

scholarly journals University Students’ Self-Rated Health in Relation to Perceived Acoustic Environment during the COVID-19 Home Quarantine

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 2538
Author(s):  
Angel M. Dzhambov ◽  
Peter Lercher ◽  
Drozdstoy Stoyanov ◽  
Nadezhda Petrova ◽  
Stoyan Novakov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
University Students ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Single Item ◽  
Acoustic Environment ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
Human And Nature

Background: Online education became mandatory for many students during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and blurred the distinction between settings where processes of stress and restoration used to take place. The lockdown also likely changed perceptions of the indoor acoustic environment (i.e., soundscape) and raised its importance. In the present study, we seek to understand how indoor soundscape related to university students’ self-rated health in Bulgaria around the time that the country was under a state of emergency declaration caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Between 17 May and 10 June 2020, we conducted a cross-sectional online survey among 323 students (median age 21 years; 31% male) from two universities in the city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Self-rated health (SRH) was measured with a single-item. Participants were asked how frequently they heard different types of sounds while at home and how pleasant they considered each of those sounds to be. Restorative quality of the home (the “being away” dimension of the Perceived Restorativeness Scale) was measured with a single-item. A priori confounders and effect modifiers included sociodemographics, house-related characteristics, general sensitivity to environmental influences, and mental health. Our analysis strategy involved sequential exploratory factor analysis (EFA), multivariate linear and ordinal regressions, effect modification tests, and structural equation modeling (SEM). Results: EFA supported grouping perceived sounds into three distinct factors—mechanical, human, and nature sounds. Regression analyses revealed that greater exposure to mechanical sounds was consistently associated with worse SRH, whereas no significant associations were found for human and nature sounds. In SEM, exposure to mechanical sounds related to lower restorative quality of the home, and then to poorer SRH, whereas nature sounds correlated with higher restorative quality, and in turn with better SRH. Conclusions: These findings suggest a role of positive indoor soundscape and restorative quality for promoting self-rated health in times of social distancing.

scholarly journals The Mediating Role of Engagement on the Achievement and Quality of Life of University Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 6586
Author(s):  
Inmaculada García-Martínez ◽  
José María Augusto Landa ◽  
Samuel P. León
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
University Students ◽  
Mediational Role ◽  
The Relationship

(1) Background: Academic engagement has been reported in the literature as an important factor in the academic achievement of university students. Other factors such as emotional intelligence (EI) and resilience have also been related to students’ performance and quality of life. The present study has two clearly delimited and interrelated objectives. First, to study the mediational role that engagement plays in the relationship between EI and resilience on quality of life. Secondly, and similarly, to study the mediational role of engagement in the relationship between EI and resilience, but in this case on academic achievement. (2) Methods: For this purpose, four scales frequently used in the literature to measure emotional intelligence, resilience, academic engagement and quality of life were administered to 427 students of the University of Jaén undertaking education degrees. In addition, students were asked to indicate their current average mark as a measure of academic performance. Two mediational models based on structural equations were proposed to analyse the relationships between the proposed variables. (3) Results: The results obtained showed that emotional intelligence and resilience directly predicted students’ life satisfaction, but this direct relationship did not result in academic performance. In addition, and assuming a finding not found so far, engagement was shown to exert an indirect mediational role for both life satisfaction and academic performance of students. (4) Conclusions: The findings of the study support the importance of engagement in the design and development of instructional processes, as well as in the implementation of any initiative.

Higher education amid COVID-19 pandemic: contributions from resilience, positive orientation and grit

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Afsaneh Ghanizadeh
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
University Students ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Academic Resilience ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Positive Orientation ◽  
Major Purpose ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThe major purpose of the present study is to investigate the contribution of academic resilience in accounting for two motivational and attitudinal constructs ? Grit and positive orientation and also probe the predictive power of all these constructs in academic achievement of university students in the midst of the pandemic COVID-19.Design/methodology/approach521 university students participated in an online survey. To measure academic resilience, a scale designed and validated by Kim and Kim (2016) comprising 26 items was employed. The scale contains five sub-factors: perceived happiness, empathy, sociability, persistence and self-regulation. Grit was assessed via an 8-item scale comprising two facets: perseverance of effort (PE) and consistency of interest (CI). It was designed by Duckworth and Gross (2014). Positive orientation was determined through positivity scale developed by Caprara et al. (2010), consisting of eight items.FindingsThe results of structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that resilience positively and significantly predicted both grit (β = 0.56, t = 6.41) and positive orientation (β = 0.54, t = 6.35). Resilience also predicted academic achievement directly (β = 0.71, t = 9.12) and indirectly via its impact on grit and positive orientation. It was also found that positive orientation and grit are positively and highly associated (β = 0.77, t = 9.28).Originality/valueThe pandemic COVID-19 brought about substantial changes in university students' education and their overall life style. Many university students around the globe experienced virtual education. Balancing personal and academic roles in these unprecedented conditions seems to be a tough challenge for every university student.

Assessment of high school textbooks addressing radiations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Economides ◽  
K. Karfopoulos ◽  
E. Mestousi ◽  
P. Founta ◽  
E. Carinou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Teachers ◽  
Safety Culture ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Early Age ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Quality Of Information ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Different Types

Exposure to different types of radiation is an integral part of everyday life (e.g. cosmic radiation, radon, medical applications, cell phones, etc.). Therefore, the general public should adequately be informed on the issue from an early age in order to develop a realistic understanding of the associated risks and the necessary safety culture. In this respect, the quality of the related information provided in the school textbooks is of great importance. The present work demonstrates a quantified assessment of high school textbooks regarding the information on different radiation-related topics provided to students. The assessment was carried out based on an anonymous online survey with the participation of a total of 347 high school teachers. According to the results of the survey, the high school textbooks address radiation issues in a sparse, occasional, and fragmentary manner. Moreover, the results indicate that the quality of information they provide was judged as unsatisfactory in terms of scientific correctness, completeness, clarity-comprehensiveness and objectivity. Radiation protection and applications of non-ionizing radiation are the topics that are covered to a lesser extent in the textbooks and curricula evaluated.

scholarly journals University Students’ Basic Psychological Needs, Motivation, and Vitality Before and During COVID-19: A Self-Determination Theory Approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian H. Müller ◽  
Almut E. Thomas ◽  
Matteo Carmignola ◽  
Ann-Kathrin Dittrich ◽  
Alexander Eckes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Distance Learning ◽  
University Students ◽  
Basic Needs ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Basic Psychological Needs ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
German Version ◽  
Motivational Regulation

Self-determination theory assumes that the basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness are associated with motivational regulation. As these basic psychological needs may have been affected by the shift to distance learning, students’ motivational regulation and vitality may have suffered as well. The purpose of this study was to examine the motivational regulation, satisfaction, or frustration of the basic psychological needs and vitality of university students before and after the transition to forced distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: Two student samples from Austria and Germany were studied: One was surveyed before the conversion to distance learning (N=1,139) and the other at the beginning of forced distance learning (N=1,835). The instruments used were the Scales for the Measurement of Motivational Regulation for Learning in University Students (SMR-L), the German version of the Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction and Frustration Scale, a scale developed by the authors to differentiate the assessment of social relatedness, and the German version of the Subjective Vitality Scale. The results show that the satisfaction of basic psychological needs was significantly lower and the frustration thereof substantially higher during the distance learning period than before the pandemic. Intrinsic motivation and identified regulation were significantly lower during the forced distance learning period, and more controlled forms of motivation were higher than before the pandemic. Structural equation models showed that 42% of the students’ vitality can be explained by motivational regulation and the satisfaction and frustration of their basic needs. Motivational regulation styles functioned (differentiated according to the degree of autonomy) as mediating variables between basic needs and vitality. In terms of theoretical implications, the distinction between approach and avoidance components of introjected regulation was shown to be adequate and necessary, as they explain the outcome vitality differently. The support and avoidance of frustration of basic psychological needs should be considered in distance learning to promote the quality of motivation and students’ vitality.

Motivation, Personality, and Development Within Embedded Social Contexts: An Overview of Self-Determination Theory

2012 ◽  
pp. 84-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward L. Deci ◽  
Richard M. Ryan
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Health ◽  
Basic Needs ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Autonomous Motivation ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Need Satisfaction ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Human Beings

Self-determination theory maintains and has provided empirical support for the proposition that all human beings have fundamental psychological needs to be competent, autonomous, and related to others. Satisfaction of these basic needs facilitates people's autonomous motivation (i.e., acting with a sense of full endorsement and volition), whereas thwarting the needs promotes controlled motivation (i.e., feeling pressured to behave in particular ways) or being amotivated (i.e., lacking intentionality). Satisfying these basic needs and acting autonomously have been consistently shown to be associated with psychological health and effective performance. Social contexts within which people operate, however proximal (e.g., a family or workgroup) or distal (e.g., a cultural value or economic system), affect their need satisfaction and type of motivation, thus affecting their wellness and effectiveness. Social contexts also affect whether people's life goals or aspirations tend to be more intrinsic or more extrinsic, and that in turn affects important life outcomes.

scholarly journals Self-Determination Theory and First-Episode Psychosis: A Replication

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas J. K. Breitborde ◽  
Cindy Woolverton ◽  
R. Brock Frost ◽  
Nicole A. Kiewel
Keyword(s):  
Psychotic Disorders ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
First Episode Psychosis ◽  
Need Satisfaction ◽  
Basic Psychological Needs ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Episode Psychosis

Self-determination theory (SDT) posits that human well-being depends on the satisfaction of three basic psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Although many scholars have suggested that SDT may be relevant to psychotic disorders, only one empirical study of SDT in individuals with psychosis has been completed to date by Breitborde and colleagues (2012). This study revealed that individuals with first-episode psychosis reported lower satisfaction of the three basic psychological needs as compared to individuals without psychosis. Moreover, greater satisfaction of basic psychological needs was modestly associated with lower general symptoms (e.g., anxiety and depression), greater social functioning, and better quality of life. Thus, the goal of this project was to replicate Breitborde et al.’s (2012) investigation of basic psychological need satisfaction among individuals with first-episode psychosis. Our results supported the conclusion that individuals with first-episode psychosis report lower autonomy, competence, and relatedness than individuals without psychosis. Moreover, our results comport with the finding that greater need satisfaction was associated with less severe symptomatology and better social functioning and quality of life. In total, the findings lend further credence to the hypothesis that SDT may help to inform the development of improved clinical services for individuals with psychotic disorders.

scholarly journals Preventing Procrastination Behaviours: Teaching Styles and Competence in University Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 2448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nuria Codina ◽  
Isabel Castillo ◽  
José V Pestana ◽  
Isabel Balaguer
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Teaching Style ◽  
Teaching Styles ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Need Satisfaction ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Negatively Associated ◽  
The Relationship

Based on the self-determination theory, this study examines the relationship between students’ perceptions of their teachers’ teaching styles, satisfaction of the need for competence, and procrastination behaviours in university students. The sample was composed of 675 university students (442 men, 279 women; 4 did not indicate gender, Mage = 19.81 ± 2.26 years old), who completed the questionnaires assessing the variables of interest. The perception of an autonomy-supportive teaching style was positively associated with the satisfaction of the need for competence, in contrast to the perception of a controlling style. Satisfaction of the need for competence was also negatively related to procrastination behaviours. Likewise, the perception of a controlling teaching style was indirectly and positively associated—through competence need satisfaction—with procrastination; in addition, the perception of an autonomy supportive teaching style was negatively associated with procrastination. The model tested defends the importance of perceiving a high autonomy-supportive teaching style and a low controlling teaching style to avoid procrastination behaviours, with these relationships being mediated by the satisfaction of the student’s need for competence.

scholarly journals The effect of root and bone visualization on perceptions of the quality of orthodontic treatment simulations

2016 ◽  
Vol 87 (3) ◽  
pp. 384-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thorsten Grünheid ◽  
Danae C. Kirk ◽  
Brent E. Larson
Keyword(s):  
Orthodontic Treatment ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Diagnostic Information ◽  
Cone Beam ◽  
Analog Scale ◽  
Arch Form ◽  
Planning Decisions ◽  
Quality Ratings ◽  
Different Types

ABSTRACTObjective:To evaluate the effect of root and bone visibility on orthodontists' perceptions of the quality of treatment simulations.Material and Methods:An online survey was used to present orthodontists with setups generated for 10 patients in two different types of view: with and without bone and roots as modeled from a cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scan. The orthodontists were asked to rate the quality of the setups from poor to ideal on a 100-point visual analog scale and, if applicable, to identify features of concern that led them to giving a setup a less-than-ideal rating.Results:The quality ratings were significantly lower when roots and bone were visible in the setups (P < .0001). Buccolingual inclination and periodontal concerns were selected significantly more often as reasons for a less-than-ideal rating when roots and bone were shown, whereas occlusal relationship, overjet, occlusal contacts, and arch form were selected significantly more often as reasons for a less-than-ideal rating when roots and bone were not shown. The odds of selecting periodontal concerns as a reason for a less-than-ideal setup rating were 331 times greater when roots and bones were visible than when they were not.Conclusions:Additional diagnostic information derived from CBCT scans affects orthodontists' perceptions of the overall case quality, which may influence their treatment-planning decisions.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document