Training studies have shown the positive effects of play tutoring on children's social skills. This study investigates whether the theoretically suggested mechanism of change--social pretend play quality--explains the effect of play tutoring on social pretend play competence and social skills. Twenty-seven Swiss playgroups (N = 214 three- to…

Background: Sufficient physical activity (PA) is important to reduce the risk of men developing chronic diseases and to improve mental health. The effectiveness of PA programmes can vary, however, among men. Individual and socio-psychological characteristics may affect the level of men's PA before starting a behaviour change programme as well as…

No studies have examined vocational education students' intention to change multiple health risk behaviors and whether baseline characteristics predict behavior change. Participants: Participants were vocational education students in New South Wales, Australia. Methods: Students in the no-intervention control arm of a cluster randomized controlled…

Background: Callous-unemotional (CU) traits are related to low achievement but not to deficits in verbal ability, commonly regarded as a major risk factor for poor academic outcomes in antisocial youth. This suggests that CU traits may have utility in explaining heterogeneous risk pathways for poor school performance in antisocial children.…

In this study, the model developed to investigate the relationship between emotional expressivity, loneliness and hopelessness was tested in adolescents. The sample of this study consisted of 288 high school students, 180 of whom were women and 108 of whom were men. Data were obtained using the Berkeley Expressivity Questionnaire (BEQ), The…

This study uses the capability-opportunity-motivation behavior framework as a theoretical basis and partial least squares structural equation modeling as an empirical research method to identify factors that influence the interest in studying abroad. We rely on primary microdata collected through a self-administered questionnaire among Egyptian…

Factors that affect physical activity (PA) behavior change are well established. Behavioral intention is a strong psychological predictor of behavior; however, there is less research on the factors that affect the "intention" to increase PA participation specifically, especially among adults in mid and later life who are inactive. Using…

This research aimed to investigate the effect of Wall-E films on prospective teachers' behavior towards environmental problems and attitude towards solid waste and recycling. In the research, one-group pre-test and post-test experimental design was used. The study group consisted of 130 prospective teachers at the Classroom Teacher Department, and…

Few studies have assessed the particular relationships between students' emotional well-being, both positive and negative and their learning. This study followed a cohort of mature students through their first semester at university. Four dimensions of emotional well-being were captured (enthusiasm, contentment, anxiety and depression) at three…

Our thoughts and feelings towards groupwork and outdoor learning impact our subsequent engagement in, and learning from, such activities. This study explores the impact of a pre-course video when used in preparation for an outdoor groupwork skills course. The video was designed according to the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to enhance…

Self-efficacy is a parameter capable of predicting change in teacher behavior. We designed a questionnaire to investigate self-efficacy for promoting Education for Sustainability (EfS), which includes pro-environmental behaviors and environmental attitudes, to answer the question: "What characteristics of self-efficacy for promoting EfS among…

Geogames are mobile, location-based and location dependent games for devices like smartphones and tablets. As geogames are played outdoors they offer various possibilities for environmental education. The geogame entitled FindeVielfalt "Simulation" is a location dependent game, developed in the BioDiv2Go project, which provides sensory…

Energy literacy is a minimum required capacity for developing a sustainable society that participates in and discusses on energy and environmental (EE) issues. Understanding the energy literacy structure is of significant importance for providing effective energy education to promote people's awareness of EE issues. In this article, an energy…

Feedback is an emotional business in which personal disposition influences what is attended to, encoded, consolidated and eventually retrieved. Here, we examine the extent to which students' perceptions of feedback and their personal dispositions can be used to predict whether they appreciate, engage with and act on the feedback that they receive.…

Getting to understand patterns and causes of motivational changes experienced by language learners while studying a foreign language can be of significant value. This paper aims to explore patterns of such fluctuations at the tertiary level. Through a dynamic systems perspective, this study employed Retrodictive Qualitative Modelling to generate…