This study examines how students' support services shape academic adjustment and subsequent learning outcomes among distance learners, and also tests whether basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) mediate that process. Using a time-lagged survey of second-year distance undergraduates (N = 818) across 20 study centres,…

Two focus group sessions were held with nine university students to explore what may help prevent suicide. Specifically, this study aimed to identify factors that prevented students from engaging in suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB); investigate how a university can provide better support for students dealing with mental health issues or…

The development of students' social competence is a key goal in emotional education, yet teachers may face conceptual challenges that hinder effective implementation. This conceptual review is particularly relevant for pre-service and in-service teacher education, highlighting challenges that teachers face in implementing emotional education…

Purpose: The study aimed to explore how student recipients of a full-tuition scholarship envision, define and experience mentorship and the types of relationships they have and expect from mentors. The study adds to the growing body of literature on mentorship as supplemental support for college student success. Design/methodology/approach:…

Recent research has developed and evaluated assessments of sociability in which time allocation near or away from an adult who initiates social interactions is used to characterize the participant as social, indifferent, or avoidant of social interaction. Though these qualitative outcomes have been useful, no studies have evaluated methods of…

The general benefits model of social support suggests that adolescents who perceive low social support generally experience poorer mental health outcomes; however, less is known of whether adolescents who perceive deficient support from one source may be protected from internalizing difficulties if they are able to access sufficient social support…

From an early age, children act generously towards one another, but the situational features that promote generous decision-making remain under investigation. The current study tests the impact of being identifiable--as a recipient of generosity, a giver, or both--on children's generosity. Six-year-old children (N = 129) allocated resources to a…

Trying to increase our happiness is not a new idea. "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" can be found in the Declaration of Independence, and well-known Yale professor Laurie Santos has a series of episodes in her podcast, "The Happiness Lab," called Happiness Lessons of the Ancients, where she explores happiness…

Children begin interacting less across racial lines around middle childhood, but it remains unclear why. We examine the novel possibility that, at that time, children's prejudice theories--their understanding of prejudice as a fixed or malleable attribute--begin to influence their desire for interracial affiliation. We devise immersive behavioral…

Gratitude is a positive social emotion that one experiences when one has benefited from another person's goodwill (McCullough, 2002). Feeling gratitude urges the grateful person to reciprocate and respond prosocially, thereby solidifying cooperation. Yet little prior research has focused on the social functions of displaying gratitude, namely to…

The study examines the collaborative nature of problem solving as dyads and triads of adults were grouped to solve digital problems using online resources. Digital problem solving involves the nimble use of skills, strategies, and mindsets to navigate online in everyday contexts using novel resources, tools, and interfaces, in efficient and…

Though the promotion of spiritual 'development' is statutory in state-maintained schools in England and Wales, it is neither clear what spirituality is nor how schools might educate in this area. In the literature, one finds an array of divergent conceptions of spirituality and spiritual education. There is, indeed, lack of agreement regarding…

Principals can have a positive impact on student achievement by employing specific actions targeted at improving teaching and learning. District offices can have a positive impact by helping principals develop and grow as leaders, but how and under what conditions? While growth and development are entwined with relationships, little is understood…

In this activity, students individually rank 12 fictional individuals based on a description of them and their likeliness to survive the zombie apocalypse. There is no right answer, and as such, students will rank the fictional characters differently. Students must come together and determine the top six characters and provide rationales for their…

Fostering students' epistemic beliefs is key for achieving a more nuanced approach to psychological knowledge. The Bendixen-Rule model on epistemic change posits epistemic doubt (questioning one's prior epistemic beliefs), epistemic volition (the will to change one's beliefs) and resolution strategies (strategies to overcome epistemic doubt by…