The identification of psychological strengths that foster healthy development in youth has become a major topic of exploration in the field of positive psychology. Gratitude is a trait-like characteristic with qualities indicative of a potential psychological strength that may serve as a protective factor for early adolescents in the face of…

This study examined whether social mistrust in early adolescence was general or referent-specific. We used a multi-trait multi-method approach to examine the validity of mistrust measures across social referents (mistrust toward people in general, toward peers, and toward teachers), using questionnaires and an online task. Sixth graders (N = 1243,…

Understanding factors that influence k-12 students' Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) performance is essential to improving their problem-solving ability. Most studies have focused on the relationship between students' psychological factors and STEM performance and have paid little attention to the relationship between…

Using a qualitative case study method, we examined how students talked, acted, and felt in structured inquiry in attempt to understand how students' epistemic emotions interact with their engagement in practices. Participants were four 5th graders, and data included audio recordings of the students' talk in structured inquiry for learning a…

This study addressed the issue of school alienation (SA) among high school students in Taiwan; SA is believed to contribute to dropout, violence, gangs, and deviant behavior. To measure SA, we propose a four-construct model in this study, comprising powerlessness, normlessness, meaninglessness, and social isolation. Using two studies, an SA scale…

This study explores teachers' perspectives on mandala coloring as a therapeutic tool for middle grades students with disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs). Employing an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, the research first conducted qualitative interviews with ten experienced teachers, followed by teachers' quantitative assessments of 60…

In this study, a predictive model is constructed to analyze learners' performance in programming tasks using data of programming behavioral events and behavioral sequences. First, this study identifies behavioral events from log data and applies lag sequence analysis to extract behavioral sequences that reflect learners' programming strategies.…

Students' prosocial behavior is linked to their own and their classmate's engagement in the classroom. This raises the question of through what pathway prosocial behavior is linked to engagement. This study investigates whether early adolescents' peer belonging mediates the relationship between prosocial behavior and classroom engagement. The…

The present study aimed to investigate school-aged children's understanding of emotions of perpetrators and targets of school bullying and whether these vary as a function of children's participant role in a bullying episode. One hundred seventy-six boys and girls, with a mean age of 11 years and 3 months, participated in the study. They were…

Over the past fifty years, extensive research has examined the influence of causal attributions on cognitions, emotions, and behaviours in educational contexts. However, these studies often relied on inferences about dimensional properties of attributions, and not on students' perceptions of them. This study innovates by directly assessing these…

Purpose: While the expectancy-value theory recognizes the significance of cost as an essential component, it has garnered minimal attention in physical education. Utilizing two separate datasets, we explored the degree to which the inclusion of cost in an expectancy-value-cost model could augment its predictive capability. Method: Study 1 utilized…

The present study investigates the longitudinal relationships between bullying roles (bullying, passive bystanding, victimization) and moral disengagement to examine influences on the shifting role of bullying in Japanese middle school students. Participants were 271 Japanese students (Time 1: M age = 12.72, SD = 0.45, 136 boys and 135 girls)…

This study shows how receptivity and responsiveness can influence the efficacy of an intervention helping adolescents reappraise worry or uncertainty following the difficult transition to middle school. The intervention was implemented at-scale in a diverse sample of sixth-grade public school district students followed through eighth grade (N =…

To deliver successful integration of virtual reality (VR) technology into chemistry education, it is essential that students have clear and positive perceptions about the purpose and the value of such integration. An important part of establishing a plan for integrating virtual reality technology into chemistry education is to explore the current…

While the development of creativity, or creative thinking, in mathematics is considered important by many researchers, there are several difficulties in implementing creative tasks, especially before secondary school. Within the original context of a mathematical escape game, this paper reports two episodes exemplifying the difficulties met by…