Background: Modelling academic self-concept through second-order factors or bifactor structures is an important issue with substantive and practical implications; besides, the bifactor model has not been analysed with a Chinese sample and cross-cultural studies in the academic self-concept are scarce. Likewise, latent structure validity evidence…

As young as 3 years old, children rely on a mutual intentionality framework to confer group membership--that is, agreement between a joiner ("I want to be in your group") and group ("We want you to be in our group"). Here, we tested whether children apply this cognitive framework in the context of identity-based groups,…

This article reports a quasi-experiment on the impact of contact improvisation (CI) sessions and free improvisation (FI) interfaces on dance proficiency, improvisation competence/output quality, and multigroup ethnic identity formation of Indian classical dancers in the United Kingdom, United States, Singapore, and Australia. FI participants…

The purpose of this study is to determine the opinions and self-efficacy beliefs of middle school students towards mathematical connections before and after the process in a learning environment prepared in the context of connections with different disciplines and including modeling tasks. An embedded experimental mixed method design was used in…

Dimensional comparisons--i.e., comparisons between achievements in different domains--have to date been examined particularly between students' achievements in different school subjects. Numerous studies have documented that dimensional comparisons between mathematical and verbal achievements significantly affect students' mathematical and verbal…

Generally speaking, third-world literary scholars have been seen as representative tools for their societies. The current article aims to look at postmodern African and Asian societies. Thus, these two literary works "The Arrangers of Marriage" by the African novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and "Brick Lane" by Monica Ali…

Upper secondary school students with a strong academic self-concept are more likely to complete their studies and thus increase their well-being in the future. Previous research on the big-fish-little-pond-effect (BFLPE) has thoroughly established the negative contrast effect of average group academic achievement on students' academic…

In this theoretical article, we explore the possibility that instead of a mathematical connection arising "in-between" two (or more) pre-existing ideas or objects, which have presumably been known or understood, that connection is itself the motor of understanding. The standard view of connection, in which two existing ideas or concepts…

Grade retention is one of the most discussed and controversial educational measures, and yet, it is still widely applied in many countries. Research investigating the effects of grade retention on students' psychosocial variables presents mixed findings, partly due to the variables assessed, methodological issues, and the length of the studies.…

Recreational arts are significant in the fostering of an inclusive, diverse, and pluralistic society, particularly in an era of mass global migration. Community-based arts activities can provide a sense of solidarity with, and significance within, the new societies that migrants inhabit. A sense of belonging is a culturally complex understanding…

Living nearby nature could be relevant for understanding what makes people feel they belong where they live and experience meaning in their lives. This study explored the relationships between nearby nature, place-belongingness, and meaning in life among first- and second-generation immigrants compared to the general Norwegian population. Two…

The present study sought to investigate the effect of implementing choice theory-based instruction and clinical supervision on EFL teachers' self-efficacy. Accordingly, a total of 30 Iranian EFL teachers were selected through nonrandom convenience sampling based on their willingness to participate in the study. At the outset, they responded to the…

Student socialisation into the norms and environment of their institution is a crucial process during their college experience. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these processes were disrupted, and little published research exists exploring comparisons of these student socialisation processes before and during the pandemic. Accordingly, we report on a…

Academic identity formation is strongly influenced by higher education contexts. In the past decades, the Chinese higher education sector has attempted to integrate academic internationalization at the local level. In this context, international returnees and locally trained scholars may encounter different issues in the process of constructing…

Increasing evidence suggests that success in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields is not only dependent upon one's actual STEM-relevant abilities but also upon one's STEM-relevant attitudes--in particular, math and spatial attitudes. Here, we examine whether simply mentioning the math or spatial relevance of a task affects…