Distance learning in higher education during COVID-19: The role of basic psychological needs and intrinsic motivation for persistence and procrastination–a multi-country study

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, higher educational institutions worldwide switched to emergency distance learning in early 2020. The less structured environment of distance learning forced students to regulate their learning and motivation more independently. According to self-determination theory (SDT), satisfaction of the three basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence and social relatedness affects intrinsic motivation, which in turn relates to more active or passive learning behavior. As the social context plays a major role for basic need satisfaction, distance learning may impair basic need satisfaction and thus intrinsic motivation and learning behavior. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between basic need satisfaction and procrastination and persistence in the context of emergency distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in a cross-sectional study. We also investigated the mediating role of intrinsic motivation in this relationship. Furthermore, to test the universal importance of SDT for intrinsic motivation and learning behavior under these circumstances in different countries, we collected data in Europe, Asia and North America. A total of N = 15,462 participants from Albania, Austria, China, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Japan, Kosovo, Lithuania, Poland, Malta, North Macedonia, Romania, Sweden, and the US answered questions regarding perceived competence, autonomy, social relatedness, intrinsic motivation, procrastination, persistence, and sociodemographic background. Our results support SDT’s claim of universality regarding the relation between basic psychological need fulfilment, intrinsic motivation, procrastination, and persistence. However, whereas perceived competence had the highest direct effect on procrastination and persistence, social relatedness was mainly influential via intrinsic motivation.

Sociality and the Need for the Epistemology of Social Relatedness: IJSS Editorial Statement

As our inaugural statement, this article conceptualises sociality, which forms the focus of the "Interdisciplinary Journal of Sociality Studies". We reinvigorated its “scope and focus” for the cognisance of our potential authors. We also explicated, step by step, our fundamental editorial process, including the issue of originality, trustworthiness and misconduct, ethical considerations, citation and referencing style, disclosure and conflict of interest, permissions and acknowledgement, as part of our quality production process. The article also presents the academic background of all our inaugural editorial team to display the potential of IJSS towards the production of quality knowledge on sociality studies. Based on this exploration, we conclude that IJSS accommodates any scholarly articles that solve social-related problems with an iota of sociological and emancipatory tendency involving humans and their relationships with but not limited to environment, objects and subjects. Therefore, we recommend that all potential authors ensure that the author guidelines' instructions are strictly adhered to while preparing for submission.

#3085 Relationship between variant connective tissue (hypermobility) and autism sensory processing: externally oriented thinking as a mediator

Objectives/AimsAutism is a neurodevelopmental condition characterised by differences in sensory processing, social communication and restricted/repetitive behaviors. Joint hypermobility is a common connective tissue variant, reportedly overrepresented in Autism. Alexithymia is a personality construct characterised by altered emotional awareness which has notably high rates of overlap with autism spectrum disorder. This study tested whether hypermobility was associated with autistic traits and examined alexithymia as a mediator of this association.MethodForty-two people underwent eligibility assessment for a study of joint hypermobility and anxiety (ISRCTN17018615). Hypermobility was assessed using both the Brighton Criteria for Joint Hypermobilty Syndrome (JHS) and 2017 Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) Criteria. Participants completed the Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale-Revised (RAADS R: sensory/motor, language, social relatedness and circumscribed interest domains) to quantify autistic traits. No participant had a prior diagnosis of Autism. Participants also completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) to measure alexithymia. The TAS-20 has three domains: difficulty describing feelings, difficulty identifying feelings and externally oriented thinking.ResultsAll 42 participants met criteria for JHS, 26 participants also met criteria for hEDS. Strikingly, 22/42 (52.4%) scored above threshold for suspected Autism (26/42 in the sensory/motor domain; 22/42 in language domain; 22/42 in social relatedness domain; 17/42 in circumscribed interests domain). There were no significant differences in RAADS-R scores depending on hypermobility diagnosis. The number of connective tissue features (hEDS Criterion 2A) correlated with RAADS-R sensory/motor score (r = 0.418, p = 0.006) but not social relatedness nor circumscribed interests sub-scores. Full mediation of the relationship between the number of connective tissue features and RAADs sensory/motor score by TAS-20 externally oriented thinking was found using the method of Baron-Kenny (1986) and estimation of indirect effects (Hayes, 2018; bootstrapped confidence intervals (n = 5000, do not cross zero)). Difficulty identifying feelings and difficulty describing feelings domains did not mediate this relationship.ConclusionThese results add to evidence linking variant connective tissue to neurodevelopmental conditions (including Autism) and interestingly, specifically to sensory processing differences. Our study provides a strong rationale for screening for neurodevelopmental conditions in people with hypermobility and motivates further to understand symptom expression in this group. Our results also provide an insight into the processes underlying this relationship, which maybe important for informing interventions for people with hypermobility and autistic traits.

Teacher Enthusiasm, Supportive Instructional Practices, and Student Motivation in Mathematics Classrooms

This longitudinal study examined the relations between teacher enthusiasm, supportive instructional practices, and students’ mastery goal orientation and behavioral engagement in mathematics. All variables were assessed by means of student reports. A total of 751 9th and 10th grade secondary school students from 46 mathematics classrooms were presented with questionnaires at the beginning (Time 1) and the middle of the school year (Time 2). Structural equation analyses revealed that student-perceived teacher enthusiasm at Time 1 predicted student-perceived support for autonomy, competence, social relatedness, and subject matter relevance at Time 2. Student-perceived support for autonomy and social relatedness (Time 2) were related to students’ mastery goal orientation and their behavioral engagement (Time 2). Moreover, student-perceived teacher enthusiasm (Time 1) indirectly predicted students’ mastery goal orientation (Time 2) via student-perceived support for social relatedness and autonomy (Time 2). The findings contribute to research aimed at identifying teacher characteristics and instructional processes that promote student motivation.

Towards Digital Sustainability: Profiles of Millennial Reviewers, Reputation Scores and Intrinsic Motivation Matter

Profiles of millennial reviewers and gamification can contribute to digital sustainability as a driver of innovation and growth. The study aims to detect if there are profiles of reviewers that can be grouped together, in order to apply a specific gamification to them and to make it sustainable over time. In this way, more information will be generated through the reviews that will help responsible consumers to choose better in their purchase decisions. The objective of this study is twofold. First, it aims to characterize online product reviewers based on their intrinsic motivations and self-perception when they comment, identifying their main motivations. Second, it aims to classify these individuals based on the acceptance of gamification elements while commenting on and relating them to the intrinsic attributes that determine their behaviors. A survey method design was used to capture responses from 187 millennial reviewers of Amazon in Spain. The relationships between motivations and the types of reviewer were extracted from the accommodation of the dataset using decision trees (DTs), specifically, the J48 algorithm. To contribute to the second objective, this paper elaborates a typology of reviewer analysis based on cluster analysis and DTs. It is confirmed that online product reviewers can be characterized based on their intrinsic motivations, which are mainly egoistic motives, competence and social relatedness. The obtained results show that the J48 DT provides excellent classification accuracy of approximately 95% in identifying reviewers based on intrinsic motivations. Similarly, egoistic intrinsic motives are decisive in focusing gamification strategies.

Does Taking a Short Break from Social Media Have a Positive Effect on Well-being? Evidence from Three Preregistered Field Experiments

Concerns about the consequences of social media use on well-being has led to the practice of taking a brief hiatus from social media platforms, a practice known as “digital detoxing.” These brief “digital detoxes” are becoming increasingly popular in the hope that the newly found time, previously spent on social media, would be used for other, theoretically more rewarding, activities. In this paper, we test this proposition. Participants in three preregistered field experiments (ntot = 600) were randomly assigned to receiving each of two conditions on each of two different days: a normal-use day or an abstinence day. Outcomes (social relatedness, positive and negative affect, day satisfaction) were measured on each of the two evenings of the study. Results did not show that abstaining from social media has positive effects on daily well-being (in terms of social relatedness, positive and negative affect, day satisfaction) as suggested by the extant literature. Participants reported similar well-being on days when they used social media and days when they did not. Evidence indicated that abstinence from social media had no measurable positive effect on well-being, and some models showed significant deficits in social relatedness and satisfaction with one’s day. We discuss implications of the study of social media hiatus and the value of programmatic research grounded in preregistered experimental designs.

A one-year follow-up of basic psychological need satisfactions in physical education and associated in-class and total physical activity

This study examined basic psychological need satisfactions for competence, autonomy, and social relatedness in physical education (PE) and their contributions to accelerometer-based in-class and total moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) across a one-year follow-up (T1). Participants were 523 students (girls 280, boys 243; mean age = 11.26 ± 0.31) and the data were collected using self-reports and waist-worn accelerometers. The key findings were: (a) competence and social relatedness need satisfaction at baseline (T0) predicted total MVPA at T1 via total MVPA at T0; (b) in-class MVPA at T0 predicted total MVPA at T1 via total MVPA at T0; (c) in-class MVPA was directly associated with total MVPA at T0 and T1; and (d) boys scored higher than girls on competence and relatedness need satisfaction at T0. These findings indicate that the need satisfactions for competence and social relatedness in PE are central components facilitating the greatest increases in total MVPA participation. To improve student outcomes, it is essential that all children receive positive and satisfying PE experiences. Enhancing the readiness and capability of pre- and in-service teachers through teacher training programmes is vital to raising awareness of the basic psychological need satisfactions behind autonomous motivation and greater MVPA engagement.