Stress,Anxiety, and School Burnout Post COVID-19: A Study of French Adolescents

This study examined the symptoms of exhaustion, school stress and anxious school refusal from a comparative developmental perspective in French adolescents enrolled in public and private general, technological and vocational schools. It is particularly important to consider academic stress levels, anxiety and school burnout in middle and high school students as they are linked to many mental health problems, such as depression or suicidal thoughts. In this study, four hundred and ninety-three adolescents completed an online questionnaire consisting of the School Burnout Inventory, the Echelle Toulousaine de Stress Scolaire perçu and the School refusal evaluation was developed. The results show a very high percentage of suffering among teenagers. The young people most affected are high school students and more particularly students in 10th and 12th grade, with nearly three-quarters of them suffering from school burnout and/or high school stress, without any distinction between the sexes or the type of schooling.     

A Flexible Latent Class Approach to Estimating Test‐Score Reliability

The latent class reliability coefficient (LCRC) is improved by using the divisive latent class model instead of the unrestricted latent class model. This results in the divisive latent class reliability coefficient (DLCRC), which unlike LCRC avoids making subjective decisions about the best solution and thus avoids judgment error. A computational study using large numbers of items shows that DLCRC also is faster than LCRC and fast enough for practical purposes. Speed and objectivity render DLCRC superior to LCRC. A decisive feature of DLCRC is that it aims at closely approximating the multivariate distribution of item scores, which might render the method suited when test data are multidimensional. A simulation study focusing on multidimensionality shows that DLCRC in general has little bias relative to the true reliability and is relatively accurate compared to LCRC and classical lower bound methods coefficients α and λ2 and the greatest lower bound.     

Differences between students’ and teachers’ perceptions of education: profiles to describe congruence and friction

Teachers and students have their own perceptions of education. Congruent perceptions contribute to optimal teaching–learning processes and help achieving best learning outcomes. This study investigated patterns in differences between students’ and teachers’ perceptions of their learning environment. Student profiles were identified taking into account the degree of congruence/friction with teachers’ perceptions. Teacher profiles were identified based on their differences in perceptions to students. Profiles were validated with regard to learning-related student characteristics and approaches to teaching. Tenth graders (N = 994) of four secondary schools filled out the Inventory of Perceived Study Environment-Extended (IPSEE) and the Inventory of Learning Styles. Their teachers (N = 136) filled out the teacher version of the IPSEE and the Approaches to Teaching Inventory. Latent class analyses were conducted to define profiles with respect to the magnitude of differences in perceptions. Results showed three student profiles: Closest match profile (30 %), intermediate profile (59 %), and distal profile (11 %). While closest match students had desirable learning-related characteristics, others did not and are at risk for destructive friction. Two teacher profiles described idealistic teachers (70 %) and adaptive teachers (30 %), which related to approaches to teaching. Subgroups of students and teachers provide a comprehensive picture of those who are at risk because of too large differences in perceptions. This study stresses that differences in perceptions deserve detailed attention for optimising learning environments. Involving both students and teachers in the instructional design process could be a way to better account for perceptions of both stakeholders.     

Identity‐trajectory: Reframing early career academic experience

Our longitudinal qualitative research program examining doctoral student, post‐PhD researcher and new lecturer experience is situated in an international literature documenting how early career academics learn through experience. In common with others, our work is framed within an identity perspective. What makes our view of identity distinct is a biographical focus: emphasizing individual agency; situating academic work within the personal arena; and encompassing transitions across roles. This paper demonstrates how the construct of ‘identity‐trajectory' which links a narrative approach with identity construction contributes to understanding how early career academics learn through experience and navigate their journeys.     

Lines,roamers, and squares: Oh my! using floor robots to enhance Hispanic students’ understanding of programming

Teaching programming and coding skills in K-12 classrooms is becoming a part of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs across the United States. Often, these opportunities are available through extra-curricular activities such as Robotics club, math club, STEM club, etc. Increasing STEM opportunities for students who are English language learners, culturally and linguistically diverse learners, and/or students from underserved backgrounds is vital. In a pilot study prior to a larger, grant-funded study on the effects of metacognitive strategy instruction on elementary students’ academic performance, the principal investigator (PI) developed an activity with a corresponding assessment instrument. The PI initially incorporated floor-robots into an activity in two fifth grade science classrooms. Pre/post survey analysis provided encouraging results. To follow up on the initial results, the PI and co-principal investigators (co-PIs) introduced floor-robots into eight additional fourth and fifth grade science classrooms over an additional school year, as well as in an after-school setting, to determine how floor-robots might be used effectively to engage elementary students in STEM learning. The investigators introduced over 257 elementary students to three types of floor-robots, and this provided students with opportunities to have hands-on access to programming and coding robots for specific purposes. Of the 257 students who interacted with the floor-robots, approximately 103 were provided with pre/post surveys on Roamer®, one of the floor-robots. Additional data analysis provided surprising and encouraging results.     

Cross-cultural adaptation of the Organizational Stressor Indicator for Sport Performers (OSI-SP) in Taiwan

The purpose of this study was to translate Arnold and her colleagues’ (Arnold, Fletcher, & Daniels, 2013) Organizational Stressor Indicator for Sport Performers (OSI-SP) into Chinese and examine its psychometric properties with Taiwanese athletes. In study 1, the psychometric properties of the items and the underlying structure of the translated Chinese OSI-SP were examined. In study 2, we used confirmatory factor analysis to examine the factorial structure and examined measurement invariance across genders. In study 3, we examined concurrent and discriminant validity via correlations among the Chinese OSI-SP, coping self-efficacy, perceived stress, and burnout to provide further evidence of criterion validity. Study 4 examined the test-retest reliability of the Chinese OSI-SP. Across these phases, results showed the 5-factor, 16-item Chinese OSI-SP had adequate factor structure, measurement invariance, criterion validity, and reliabilities. We suggest future studies may use this revised Chinese OSI-SP in Taiwan and other Chinese athletic settings.