Search Results (27)

Understanding academic achievement requires moving beyond the identification of influential factors toward explaining how these factors are organized into functional learning and cognitive mechanisms. Although prior research has extensively documented the roles of socioeconomic status, student attitudes, and learning behaviors, less attention has been paid to how these elements interact within structured pathways that reflect underlying learning intelligence across educational systems. This study adopts a mechanism-oriented perspective to examine mathematics achievement using data from PISA 2018. Focusing on high-performing regions in East Asia and Western countries, it integrates interpretable artificial intelligence methods with structural modeling to investigate how contextual, psychological, and learning-process factors jointly shape achievement outcomes. The findings show that high achievement is not governed by a single set of dominant predictors, but by distinct organizational mechanisms of learning intelligence. In East Asian systems, achievement follows a chain-like convergent structure, in which socioeconomic background is systematically translated into academic outcomes through sequential psychological and self-regulatory processes. Psychological factors, particularly educational expectations and self-beliefs, function as key mediating mechanisms that organize learning engagement and strategy use. By contrast, high-performing systems in Europe and North America exhibit a parallel configuration, in which multiple cognitive and behavioral factors independently contribute to achievement through more decentralized pathways, reflecting a distributed structure of learning intelligence. Across regions, learning processes such as reading engagement and digital literacy show consistently positive associations with achievement. However, their roles vary depending on how they are embedded within broader system-level structures. These results suggest that self-regulation operates not merely as an associated factor, but as an organizing mechanism of learning intelligence that structures the translation of background resources into performance. By reconceptualizing prediction as a means of revealing the organization of learning intelligence, this study proposes a unified analytical framework that links interpretable artificial intelligence with theory-driven explanation. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how achievement systems function and highlight that high performance can emerge through multiple, structurally distinct pathways, with important implications for educational research, cognitive theory, and policy design. Full article

Illustrated digital picture books are widely used for second-language reading and vocabulary growth. We ask how close current generative AI (GenAI) tools are to producing such books on demand for specific learners. Using the ChatGPT-based Learning And Reading (C-LARA) platform with GPT-5 for text/annotation and GPT-Image-1 for illustration, we ran three pilot studies. Study 1 used six AI-generated English books glossed into Chinese, French, and Ukrainian and evaluated them using page-level and whole-book Likert questionnaires completed by teachers and students. Study 2 created six English books targeted at low-intermediate East-Asian adults who had recently arrived in Adelaide and gathered student and teacher ratings. Study 3 piloted an individually tailored German mini-course for one anglophone learner, with judgements from the learner and two germanophone teachers. Images and Chinese glossing were consistently strong; French glossing was good but showed issues with gender agreement, register, and naturalness of phrasing; and Ukrainian glossing underperformed, with morphosyntax and idiom errors. Students rated tailored English texts positively, while teachers requested tighter briefs and curricular alignment. The German pilot was engaging and largely usable, with minor image-consistency and cultural-detail issues. We conclude that for well-supported language pairs (in particular, English–Chinese), the workflow is close to classroom/self-study usability, while other language pairs need improved multi-word expression handling and glossing. All resources are reproducible on the open-source platform. We adopt an interdisciplinary stance which combines aspects taken from computer science, linguistics, and language education. Full article

Colorectal cancer (CRC) continues to impart a significant mortality burden in the United States, with a growing number of cases affecting younger individuals. In this study, we set out to characterize predictors of missed colorectal cancer screening in a general and age-stratified population. Methods: We analyzed a patient population of over 85,000 patients who presented to a large outpatient network in the Baltimore, Maryland area and were due for CRC screening. We analyzed different characteristics, including race, occupation, relationship status, tobacco smoking status, and body mass index, of patients up to date and overdue on their CRC screening. The majority (over 99%) of our patient population was insured. We performed this analysis on the patient population as a whole and as an age-stratified patient population. Results: In our overall patient population, all of the aforementioned characteristics were significantly different between patients up to date and those overdue on CRC screening. Races with the highest up-to-date CRC screening proportion were Pacific Islanders, East Asian, and White patients, while Asian Indian patients had the lowest up-to-date percentage. Non-employed patients (including patients with disabilities and students), single patients, and current or past tobacco smokers were all found to have significantly lower percentages of up-to-date patients as compared to other groups within these categories. BMI was significantly lower in up-to-date patients. In our age-stratified analysis, younger patients had a significantly lower percentage of up-to-date patients. Notably, younger patients had a significantly higher proportion of patients electing for noninvasive screening modalities. Conclusions: These disparities in CRC screening warrant targeted interventions to minimize future risk of heightened mortality in certain patient populations. Full article

This study examines the identity and characteristics of modern Korean Buddhist education through an analysis of the religious studies lecture notes of a student from the Buddhist Central Seminary (Pulgyo Chungang Hangnim, 佛敎中央學林), preserved at Songgwang-sa Temple. Established in 1915 and operating until 1919, the seminary introduced a significant shift from traditional scripture-centered monastic education to a modern academic system. Western and Japanese academic traditions, religious studies, philosophy, and the general educational system influenced its curriculum. The lecture notes provide insight into the adoption of modern academic disciplines within Korean Buddhist education, revealing the influence of Japanese religious studies and Western comparative religion. They also demonstrate the possibility of early introduction of religious studies as an educational field in Korea. The seminary played a dual role as a hub for national education and reflection of the colonial context, embodying the complexities of nationalism and colonial influence during Japanese occupation. This study underscores the need for further scholarly exploration to understand the multifaceted nature of modern Korean Buddhist education and its unique role within the broader historical context of East Asian Buddhist history. Full article

This study explores the identity of traditional values among Chinese adolescents and its correlation with their mental health. A questionnaire survey, utilizing the Confucian Traditional Values Scale and the Secondary School Students’ Mental Health Scale, was conducted with 500 students from Grade 7 through the final year of college. Our results showed the following: (1) adolescents generally agree with traditional values; (2) there were no significant differences in overall agreement with traditional values among adolescents based on their gender, place of birth, class cadre status, only-child status, or academic major, though differences were observed in specific dimensions based on these variables; (3) traditional values identity varied across grade levels, with senior high school students showing notably higher identification than junior high school and college students, peaking in the second year of senior high school; and (4) there is a significant negative correlation between adolescents’ traditional values identity scores and their mental health scores, indicating that higher traditional values identity scores are associated with better mental health levels. These findings highlight the positive influence of traditional values on the development and well-being of Chinese adolescents, underscoring the importance of integrating these values into educational and developmental frameworks in China and other East Asian regions with similar cultural backgrounds. Full article

Media characters’ physical and psychological traits are crucial for character development and audience engagement. This study examines East Asian perspectives on the audience’s perceptions of the physical appearance and personality, using Eum-Yang biopsychological Sasang theory, of five characters from the Netflix series “Squid Game”. A total of 221 university students assessed the traits of five “Squid Game” characters using the Sasang Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) and a visual Body Mass Index (BMI). ANOVA and Profile Analysis revealed significant and comprehensive differences in the SPQ and its subscales (behavior, SPQ-B; cognition, SPQ-C; and emotion, SPQ-E) as well as BMI among the five drama characters. More specifically, Seong Gi-hun (SGH) and Han Mi-nyeo (HMN) were So-Yang types (high SPQ, moderate BMI), Cho Sang-woo (CSW) and Kang Sae-byeok (KSB) were So-Eum types (low SPQ, low BMI), and Jang Deok-su (JDS) was Tae-Eum type (moderate SPQ, high BMI). Psychological profiling showed two patterns: V-shaped (high SPQ-B, low SPQ-C, high SPQ-E) for SGH, HMN, and JDS, and A-shaped (low SPQ-B, high SPQ-C, low SPQ-E) for CSW and KSB. These results contribute to media psychology by highlighting the relevance of Eum-Yang and Sasang typology for creating and analyzing complex characters, thereby enhancing global understanding for East Asian biopsychosocial theories. Full article

The PISA 2022 literacy assessment highlights a significant decline in math performance among most OECD countries, with the magnitude of this decline being approximately three times that of the previous round. Remarkably, Hong Kong, Macao, Taipei, Singapore, Japan, and Korea ranked in the top six among all participating countries or economies, with Taipei, Singapore, Japan, and Korea also demonstrating improved performance. Given the widespread concern about the factors influencing secondary-school students’ mathematical literacy, this paper adopts machine learning and the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method to analyze 34,968 samples and 151 features from six East Asian education systems within the PISA 2022 dataset, aiming to pinpoint the crucial factors that affect middle-school students’ mathematical literacy. First, the XGBoost model has the highest prediction accuracy for math literacy performance. Second, 15 variables were identified as significant predictors of mathematical literacy across the student population, particularly variables such as mathematics self-efficacy (MATHEFF) and expected occupational status (BSMJ). Third, mathematics self-efficacy was determined to be the most influential factor. Fourth, the factors influencing mathematical literacy vary among individual students, including the key influencing factors, the direction (positive or negative) of their impact, and the extent of this influence. Finally, based on our findings, four recommendations are proffered to enhance the mathematical literacy performance of secondary-school students. Full article

This study explores the application of the DREAM methodology for course assessment in three South East Asian universities aiming to embed sustainability and sustainable development goals (SDGs) in multiple academic disciplines enabled by information and communication technologies (ICTs). A mixing of content and thematic analysis was used, which aligns with the underpinning philosophy of the Diagnosing, Reviewing/Reflecting, Explaining, Assessing, Managing (DREAM) methodology. The DREAM methodology integrates five processes, starting from diagnosing, to reviewing/reflecting, explaining, assessing, and, finally, managing. Results show that merging semantic and latent themes has contributed to uncovering what messages students’ narratives convey and provided a space for focusing both on the surface and explicit meanings of the data as well as on theory building and policy making. They also show the effectiveness of the DREAM methodology in constructing new knowledge and generating meaningful interpretations and suggestions to teacher educators and other academic teaching staff, as well as higher education institutions’ policymakers and planners. Full article

Many theories of motivation suggest that motivation and academic achievement reinforce each other over time, yet few longitudinal studies have examined behavioral pathways that may mediate interplay from motivation to achievement. Moreover, empirical studies so far have mostly focused on Western countries. In this study, we first examined whether students’ value of education, as a measure of motivation, is reciprocally related to achievement (class rank and self-rated performance) in a sample of junior high schoolers in an East-Asian country (N = 3445, Korean Youth Panel Study). We tested this reciprocity using different statistical models. Second, we investigated whether the relation between motivation and achievement was mediated by time invested in learning. Reciprocal effects between value of education and academic achievement were found in classic cross-lagged panel models, but only unilateral effects (from achievement to value of education) were found when we used random-intercept and random-curve cross-lagged panel models. Adding the time investment variable, a reciprocal effect between value of education, time investment, and academic achievement was not found with the random-intercept model. In conclusion, the reciprocity between of motivation and achievement are more elusive than previous research suggested; further studies should be dedicated to scrutinizing its existence with various statistical models. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic coincided with a rise in reports of hate crime against East and Southeast Asian minorities. Political rhetoric blaming China for causing the pandemic was tantamount to a ‘permission to hate’, making COVID-19 a catalyst of hate crime against Chinese people which also fuelled overt prejudice against other ethnic minorities. Researching experiences of hate offences in an ethnically diverse university student population in the United Kingdom during COVID-19, this qualitative study found that actual reported cases potentially underestimate the problem of hate crime. Analysing data from semi-structured interviews, we argue that a focus on reported cases alone risks obscuring the full extent of pandemic-related harassment and the insidious nature of hate crimes more generally. Minority ethnic interview participants lived with varying degrees of fear of victimisation, even if they were not personally subjected to any actual incidents during the pandemic. Accounts of pre-pandemic experiences, along with vicarious experiences involving victims with similar characteristics as interview participants, confirm the status of hate crime as a ‘message crime’. Third-party bystander accounts involving the victimisation of others whose identity research participants did not share afford additional insights into the nature and extent of pandemic-related hate. Full article

Public service motivation (PSM) represents an individual’s predisposition to respond to motives grounded primarily or uniquely in public institutions, and it is an individual characteristic that reflects the attributes of the public sector. The concept was first introduced by James Perry, who identified four-dimensions to measure PSM, namely, attraction to policy making, commitment to the public interest, compassion, and self-sacrifice. Public service motivation changes over time, and differences in culture and systems in different countries can lead to differences in the measurement dimensions of PSM. The dimensions of PSM measurement in Asian countries are different from those in Western countries, and whether the regional applicability and population applicability of PSM can be expanded is a question worth investigating. From a new perspective, this study takes Chinese college students as the research object, using one-on-one interviews based on grounded theory. Besides the four dimensions mentioned above, it was found that the two additional dimensions of a collectivist tendency and self-improvement were added, and the specific connotations of each dimension were changed somewhat. A collectivist tendency accords with the culture of East Asian countries, and self-improvement is our unique finding among college students. This proves that the motivation for public service can rise not only from altruism but also as a result of individuals seeking self-development and value realization. Full article

Disordered eating is a public health problem because it’s highly prevalent, dangerous, and costly. More research about its risk factors and mechanisms is needed to address this problem and prevent disordered eating among high-risk populations, particularly understudied ethnic minorities. The present study contributes to the limited existing research on acculturation and disordered eating among Asian American college students who represent an understudied and high-risk group. The sample consisted of 245 Asian American (primarily East and Southeast Asian American) college students who provided data on their acculturation status, internalization of thin and muscular body ideals, body surveillance, body shame, and disordered eating. Results show that after controlling for gender, both cultures are positively associated with internalization of the muscular body ideal, but only the Asian culture of origin is associated with disordered eating. Additionally, path analysis results show that Asian culture of origin has a significant total effect on disordered eating as well as a significant indirect effect on disordered eating, mediated by thin body ideal internalization. While American culture does not have a significant contribution to body ideal internalization or disordered eating, it interacts with Asian culture of origin and put participants with high levels of both cultures at a greater risk for muscular body ideal internalization. Findings highlight the importance of cultural context in the understanding of body experiences and disordered eating among Asian American college students and have implications for the prevention and intervention of these problems in this high-risk population. Full article

The prevalence of epidemiological health-risk behaviors and mental well-being in the COVID-19 pandemic, stratified by sociodemographic factors in Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) university students, were examined in the research. Data were collected in March–June 2021 via an online survey from 15,366 university students from 17 universities in seven ASEAN countries. Analyzed data comprised results on physical activity, health-related behaviors, mental well-being, and sociodemographic information. A large proportion of university students consumed sugar-sweetened beverages (82.0%; 95%CI: 81.4, 82.6) and snacks/fast food daily (65.2%; 95%CI: 64.4, 66.0). About half (52.2%; 95%CI: 51.4, 53.0) consumed less than the recommended daily amounts of fruit/vegetable and had high salt intake (54%; 95%CI: 53.3, 54.8). Physical inactivity was estimated at 39.7% (95%CI: 38.9, 40.5). A minority (16.7%; 95%CI: 16.1, 17.3) had low mental well-being, smoked (8.9%; 95%CI: 8.4, 9.3), and drank alcohol (13.4%; 95%CI: 12.8, 13.9). Country and body mass index had a significant correlation with many health-risk behaviors and mental well-being. The research provided important baseline data for guidance and for the monitoring of health outcomes among ASEAN university students and concludes that healthy diet, physical activity, and mental well-being should be key priority health areas for promotion among university students. Full article

Uncovering the predictors of vaccine immunogenicity is essential for infection control. We have reported that the most prevalent polymorphism of the aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 gene (ALDH2), rs671, may be associated with an attenuated immune system. To test the inverse relationship between rs671 and antibody production after COVID-19 vaccination, the levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein S1 subunit (S1) IgG were repeatedly measured for four months before and after vaccination with BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273, in 88 Japanese workers and students (including 45 females, aged 21–56 years, with an rs671 variant allele frequency of 0.3). The mixed model including fixed effects of the vaccine type, weeks post vaccination (categorical variable), sex, age, height, smoking status, ethanol intake, exercise habit, perceived stress, steroid use, allergic diseases, and dyslipidemia, indicated an inverse association between log-transformed anti-S1 IgG levels and the number of rs671 variant alleles (partial regression coefficient = −0.15, p = 0.002). Our study indicated for the first time that the variant allele of ALDH2, rs671, is associated with the attenuated immunogenicity of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. Our finding may provide a basis for personalized disease prevention based on a genetic polymorphism that is prevalent among East Asians. Full article

Background: While a large body of evidence indicates changes in alcohol and other drug use among young people as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a lack of evidence around changes in sexual practices and how the pandemic may be impacting the potential spread of blood-borne viruses and sexually transmissible infections (BBVs/STIs). Most of what we know about sex during COVID-19 lockdowns is largely based on solitary sexual practices, which may not answer the critical question around how the pandemic may be shaping sexual practices among young people. Against this backdrop, this study explored how the COVID-19 pandemic may be shaping BBVs/STIs risk and protective practices among a sample of onshore African and Asian international students in Sydney, Australia. Methods: This phenomenological qualitative study involved semi-structured telephone and face-to-face interviews with 16 international university students in Sydney, between September 2020–March 2021. Generated data were coded using NVivo and analysis was guided by reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Participants reported elevated mental health distress because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some participants reported engaging in casual sexual hook-ups as a strategy to mitigate the mental health distress they were experiencing. Some of these sexual hook-ups were condomless partly because COVID-related disruptions impacted condom accessibility. Additionally, the preventive practices of some participants who were sexually active during the lockdowns were focused on preventing COVID-19, while the risk of BBVs/STIs were downplayed. Conclusions: This study indicates a need for a comprehensive public health response to the evolving and near-endemic COVID-19 situation. Such a comprehensive approach should focus on empowering young people to prevent both SARS-CoV-2 and BBVs/STIs. Full article