Search Results (1,090)

School Attendance Problems (SAPs) are multidimensional phenomena with significant short- and long-term effects not only for students’ socio-emotional and cognitive development but also for the broader social welfare of the country. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT), this study examined the associations between self-perceived competence and distinct non-attendance motivations among adolescents at risk for SAPs. In Study 1, Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses (EFA: n = 391; CFA: n = 593) supported a refined 13-item four-factor structure of the Italian version of the Adolescent Reasons for School Non-Attendance Scale (ARSNA), with satisfactory fit indices (CFI = 0.90; TLI = 0.87; RMSEA = 0.07), demonstrating its suitability for use with Italian adolescents. In Study 2 (n = 183 at-risk adolescents), hierarchical regression analyses, controlling age, gender, academic achievement, and failed subjects, revealed that lower self-perceived academic competence was associated with Truancy-related reasons (β = −0.27, p < 0.01), whereas School Refusal-related reasons were associated with lower self-perceived general (β = −0.23, p < 0.01) and academic competence (β = −0.18, p < 0.05). These findings provide the first Italian validation of the ARSNA and highlight competence-related processes as central mechanisms underlying Truancy and School refusal in at-risk adolescents, with direct implications for early identification and targeted intervention. Full article

Based on attachment theory, individuals develop relational schemas that shape cognitive-emotional social relationship expectations (e.g., others are a source of safety). Social relationships (e.g., intimate relationships or close friendships) are a source of long-term happiness. However, expectations that they will save someone from life’s challenges are a common fallacy (e.g., a shining prince/princess bringing lifelong happiness). This places illusionary expectations on others to not disappoint despite normal behavioral realities (e.g., relational misunderstandings and conflict). This project psychometrically developed the rescue fantasy beliefs (RFB) and expected relational disappointment (ERD) scales. Analysis of the scales demonstrated satisfactory reliability, discriminant validity, and convergent validity. Serial mediation analysis demonstrated that higher RFB is associated with higher shopping addiction. ERD and current relational satisfaction sequentially mediated this relationship. The results demonstrated a serial connection between RFB and lower ERD. This serial illusionary expectation gap in others is associated with lower current relational satisfaction and higher shopping addiction. Addictive shopping can function as a compensatory coping strategy to unmet social needs. Business marketing implications discuss how new offerings can encourage meaningful in-person social connections to better address underlying needs (for those with greater RFB). Full article

This study acknowledges the role of high-involvement work practices (HIWPs) in promoting proactive behavior among public organization employees, addressing the need to obtain further insights into the mechanisms and identify contingencies (i.e., both conditional and individual factors) that might impede the effectiveness of such practices. This builds on emerging empirical studies in the public management literature by drawing on social exchange theory and social cognitive theory to empirically test the impact of HIWPs on employees’ proactive behavior, using data collected through a two-wave, time-lagged survey design with a one-month interval from Turkish public organizations. The mediating role of public relations values was also examined, along with the moderating roles of role breadth self-efficacy and employees’ use of normative public values. Relying on 554 data obtained from Turkish public organization employees, this study finds that HIWPs positively impact employees’ proactive behavior and public relations values. Public relations values positively impact employees’ proactive behavior and partially mediate the link between HIWPs and employees’ proactive behavior. Role breadth self-efficacy moderates the positive relationship between HIWPs and public relations values, with the relationship being stronger for employees with high role breadth self-efficacy than for those with low. Employees’ use of normative public values moderates the positive link between public relations values and employees’ proactive behavior, with the relationship being stronger for employees with high use of normative public values than for those with low. The main theoretical and practical implications of the study’s outcomes are outlined and discussed, along with important future research directions. The findings highlight the importance of human-centric organizational practices in fostering public value in VUCA-D environments. By enabling proactive behavior, public organizations can enhance adaptability, support value co-creation with citizens, and strengthen trust in public service systems. Full article

Many researchers note that mental disorders can be understood as maladaptive attempts to avoid aversive internal experiences, and propose that a functional approach is required to complement topographical classification. Approaches that are based on the function of behavior can identify basic processes for the development of interventions. From this perspective, communication difficulties can be seen as strategies that are based on avoidance that increase distress. Among these problems are problems understanding metaphors, humor, and irony. Relational Frame Theory (RFT) offers a functional framework from which to analyze these processes. All this is the basis of the interventions that are aimed at promoting more adaptive behavior patterns. Moreover, individuals with Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder (SPCD) often exhibit impairments in perspective-taking, which RFT interventions aim to address by developing relational framing skills and social cognition. This paper proposes a functional approach and a theoretical framework for understanding interventions in SPCD through RFT. Full article

Generation Z consumers are reshaping food consumption patterns in urban digital environments, particularly in restaurant contexts characterized by high choice complexity and uncertainty. In Mexico, the evolution of the restaurant industry has intensified the need to understand how digital cues shape consumer food choices. Addressing this gap, this study examines how Social Media Marketing (SMM), Social Media electronic Word of Mouth (Social Media eWOM), and Social Media Influencers (SMIs) shape food consumption intention among Generation Z in Mexico City. Grounded in the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) model and integrating the attitudinal foundations of the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this study analyzes how these digital factors impact food consumption intention (operationalized as restaurant purchase intention) through the mediating psychological mechanism of Consumer Brand Engagement (CBE). A quantitative, non-experimental design was employed using a sample of 406 respondents, and data were analyzed through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results indicate that the model explains 73.6% of the variance in food consumption intention. SMM emerged as the strongest direct predictor, followed by Social Media eWOM and SMIs. Crucially, CBE mediates only the relationship between influencers and consumption intention. Conversely, both SMM and Social Media eWOM exert direct effects that bypass affective engagement. These findings highlight the role of digital ecosystems as cognitive proxies in restaurant selection, providing actionable insights for restaurant SMEs to optimize digital strategies and enhance economic resilience. They also suggest potential implications for healthier and more sustainable urban food environments. Full article

Drawing on mindset theory, self-regulated learning theory, learner autonomy, and adaptive intelligence theory, this study tested an integrated structural model of the associations between academic growth mindset and self-perceived adaptive intelligence among Jordanian undergraduates. In this study, self-perceived adaptive intelligence refers to students’ perceived wisdom-related, social/practical, creative, and uncertainty-navigation tendencies; it is not an objective or performance-based measure of cognitive ability. The hypothesized sequential mediation structure was retained, but it was estimated and interpreted as a set of theoretically ordered indirect associations through learning motivation, metacognitive awareness, self-regulated learning strategies, and academic adaptation. Learner autonomy was examined as a moderator of the association between self-regulated learning strategies and academic adaptation. Data were obtained from 640 undergraduate students enrolled in Jordanian universities and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling with WarpPLS 8.0. Academic growth mindset was positively associated with learning motivation and metacognitive awareness. Both constructs were positively associated with self-regulated learning strategies, which, in turn, were positively associated with academic adaptation; academic adaptation, in turn, was positively associated with self-perceived adaptive intelligence. The theoretically ordered sequential indirect associations through the motivational and metacognitive routes were statistically significant, whereas learner autonomy did not significantly moderate the association between self-regulated learning strategies and academic adaptation. Because the data were single-wave and self-reported, the term “sequential” refers to the theory-imposed ordering of paths in the statistical model, not to an observed temporal or developmental progression. Accordingly, the findings represent structural associations and do not establish causal sequencing. The findings contribute to intelligence and higher-education research by distinguishing domain-specific academic adaptation from broader self-perceived adaptive intelligence informed by Sternberg’s adaptive intelligence framework. Full article

The general objective of this study is to test an integrative PLS-SEM model that simultaneously explains thesis quality and process efficiency among undergraduate students through the affective-motivational mediators of research self-efficacy and project management. Students who stall in the final stage of their degree rarely do so because they lack technical skill. More often, confidence erodes under sustained uncertainty, motivation shifts from intrinsic engagement to anxious compliance, and the demands of organizing months of research exceed what willpower alone can sustain. This study examines those emotional and motivational dynamics directly, treating research self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation not as background variables but as the affective-motivational core of thesis performance. Using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) grounded in self-determination theory and social cognitive theory, we tested an integrative model with data from 396 undergraduate students actively completing theses at public and private universities in the northern region of Peru. Four enabling factors—methodological competencies, intrinsic motivation, tutorial support, resources and conditions—were linked to thesis quality and process efficiency through two mediating mechanisms: research self-efficacy (the confidence to face methodological difficulty without retreating) and project management (the behavioral self-regulation that converts motivation into organized work). Resources and conditions showed the strongest associations in the model, with the largest effects on both project management (β = 0.533) and research self-efficacy (β = 0.418). Self-efficacy, in turn, showed the strongest association with thesis quality (β = 0.518), while project management and quality were jointly associated with process efficiency. The model explained 70.5% of variance in thesis quality and 81.4% in process efficiency. These patterns point to a concrete institutional lever: securing the material and temporal conditions that allow students to do the work, rather than attributing delays solely to failures of individual motivation. Because the design is cross-sectional and based on self-report, these relationships are interpreted as theory-consistent associations rather than causal effects. Full article

Immersive solutions are becoming a trending technology for decision support across fields such as transportation, healthcare, and urban planning. Despite their role, the mechanism by which they affect decision-making is unclear. Our study examines the design primitives in immersive technology that are manipulated to influence decision-making and synthesizes how they operate to shape decision outcomes. We follow PRISMA guidelines to search. A total of 198 studies were included. Eight primitive families were identified, including perceptual realism, environmental structure, interactivity, temporal simulation, embodiment, social presence, multisensory integration, and other contextual manipulations. Mechanisms through which they impacted decision-making were classified into cognitive, perceptual, affective, motivational, social-influence, and behavioral-heuristic mechanisms. Perceptual realism, environmental structure, and interactivity emerged as the most frequently investigated primitives, while presence, risk perception, spatial cognition, engagement, and social influence were among the most reported mechanisms. Our results suggest that immersive technologies function as decision-shaping systems that alter how users perceive uncertainty, risks, consequences, and alternatives, highlighting the need for theory-driven research and evaluation in high-stakes decision contexts. Full article

Drawing on the Value–Attitude–Behavior framework, this study aims to investigate the relationship between environmental values and pro-environmental behavior and the mediating role of environmental attitudes in this relationship among Generation Z in India. Survey data were gathered using a structured questionnaire from 281 respondents, and statistical analysis for this study was conducted using SmartPLS 4.0 software. The Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) algorithm and bootstrapping technique were employed to analyze both the direct and mediation relationships. Path coefficients and t-values were thoroughly examined to validate and support the proposed hypotheses, ensuring robust testing of the model’s structure and relationships. The study establishes a significant association between environmental attitudes and values, highlighting their positive role in promoting pro-environmental behavior, supporting the VAB theory. A partial mediation paradigm, in which environmental behavior is related to both cognitive (attitude) and motivational (value) factors, is supported by the significance of both direct and indirect effects. Multiple variables are highlighted by research on pro-environmental behavior (PEB), ranging from social and contextual factors to individual values and attitudes. While prior studies have sought to address this multiplicity, such efforts have often led to increased complexity rather than conceptual clarity. By isolating the variables, this research furthers the understanding of how environmental values and attitudes is related to pro-environmental actions in the context of the Indian Gen Z audience. The outcome of the study has important implications for green communication targeting this specific cohort. Full article

Academic motivation and achievement are central to student success in applied STEM, engineering, and technical and vocational education and training (TVET); however, despite extensive research, the evidence remains fragmented across theoretical traditions, educational levels, and disciplinary settings. This structured narrative review synthesizes research on the factors shaping academic motivation, achievement, and career readiness in these contexts. A literature search was conducted in Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and PsycINFO for studies published between 2010 and 2025. A total of 58 studies met the inclusion criteria from an initial pool of 2184 records. Guided by self-determination theory, achievement goal theory, social cognitive career theory, and expectancy–value theory, this review identifies self-efficacy, perceived competence, task value, intrinsic/extrinsic motivation, goal orientation, metacognitive skills, teacher and peer support, curriculum relevance, and industry-aligned learning opportunities as key factors associated with student engagement, achievement, and career-related development. The synthesis shows that these factors operate through an integrated motivational core linking motivational regulation, self-belief, task value, and goal orientation. The findings suggest that student success is shaped by the interaction between individual beliefs, social support, instructional conditions, and perceived links between learning and future professional pathways. Practical implications are discussed for designing student-centered, career-relevant, and motivation-supportive learning environments in engineering and TVET. Full article

This study examines the associations among entrepreneurial self-efficacy, entrepreneurial resilience, financial constraints, and sustainable business practices among micro and small women entrepreneurs in the West Bank, Palestine. Drawing on Social Cognitive Theory and Conservation of Resources Theory, a moderated mediation model is proposed and explored in which entrepreneurial resilience mediates the relationship between entrepreneurial self-efficacy and sustainable business practices, while financial constraints moderate this indirect pathway. Survey data were collected from 282 micro and small women entrepreneurs through a purposive stratified sample facilitated by microfinance institution and NGO networks, and the model was assessed using partial least squares structural equation modeling via SmartPLS 4. The findings indicate that entrepreneurial self-efficacy is positively associated with sustainable business practices both directly and indirectly through entrepreneurial resilience. Financial constraints significantly weaken the resilience-to-practices pathway, and the moderated mediation analysis reveals that the indirect association diminishes as financial constraints intensify. These findings contribute to sustainable entrepreneurship theory by identifying the sequential psychological pathway through which self-efficacy translates into responsible business conduct and by establishing material resource scarcity as a boundary condition of that pathway in fragile economy contexts. Full article

Short videos have become a dominant format in digital commerce, enabling brands to engage consumers and drive purchases through dynamic and visually rich content. This highlights the need for a more nuanced understanding of visual framing strategies, that is, what elements are shown and how they are presented. Drawing on Cognitive Load Theory, this study explores the impact of visual compositional framing strategies and their dynamics on consumer engagement and sales. Applying a CNN-based deep learning model, 249,043 images (video frames) extracted from 3426 book-related short sales videos on Douyin are classified into one of three categories: functional, contextual, or social, according to the visual composition of the frame. Further econometric modeling reveals distinct effects of such framing categories: functional framing is positively associated with both engagement and sales, contextual framing relates to higher sales only, while social framing relates positively to engagement but negatively to sales. From a dynamic perspective, frequent transitions between framing types within a short video increase visual complexity, which reduces both engagement and sales and moderates the effects of specific framing strategies. These findings advance theoretical understanding of visual framing in dynamic media environments and offer practical insights for designing more effective short video content. Full article

Background/Objectives: Wheelchair users with multiple sclerosis (MS) often face barriers that restrict participation in physical activity and exercise training. This manuscript reports on participant feedback to guide evaluating and refining a novel exercise training program, Seated Physical activity INtervention (SPIN). SPIN was adapted from the Guidelines for Exercise in MS (GEMS) approach using a three-step community-engaged research framework based on meeting the needs of wheelchair users with MS. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 9 participants who completed the 16-week SPIN intervention. The key SPIN intervention components were the exercise prescription, exercise equipment, and behavioral coaching grounded in Social Cognitive Theory. Formative interview domains included overall experience, enjoyable and missing components, delivery modifications, barriers, lessons learned, and additional research topics of interest. Data were analyzed and reported using a rapid qualitative analysis approach. Results: Interviews averaged 16 ± 10 min. Participants reported enjoying SPIN, noting program strengths as being flexible and appropriate for individuals with MS, receiving coaching calls by knowledgeable staff that offered support and accountability, and receiving exercise equipment and video demonstrations. Participants also identified strategies for enhancing the program such as including peer support, offering real-time feedback during exercise, and adding other wellness behavior topics (e.g., diet). Conclusions: The results offer helpful ideas to consider when developing exercise training programs for wheelchair users with MS and other disabilities that may improve health and well-being. Full article

Platform algorithms are widely used to personalize content and organize users’ everyday social media experiences. Yet they may also become objects of resistance when algorithmic recommendations are perceived as intrusive, repetitive, or difficult to escape. Drawing on the critical theory of technology, this study develops a parallel mediation model to explain why users resist algorithm-driven social media platforms. Focusing on algorithmic power and algorithmic technicality as two perceived characteristics of platform algorithms, the model examines whether these perceptions are associated with algorithmic resistance through fairness evaluations and negative emotions. Based on survey data from users of Chinese algorithm-driven social media platforms, the results show that both algorithmic power and algorithmic technicality are associated with stronger algorithmic resistance through lower fairness evaluations and stronger negative emotions. These findings suggest that algorithmic resistance is not merely a response to inaccurate or opaque recommendations, but also reflects users’ reactions to algorithms experienced as systems of platform control and data-driven inference. By identifying fairness evaluations and negative emotions as parallel cognitive and affective pathways, this study shifts attention from algorithmic acceptance to algorithmic resistance and provides a more critical understanding of user agency in human–algorithm relations. Full article

Career adaptability has been linked to academic achievement, yet the mechanisms underlying this association remain insufficiently understood, particularly among adolescents in highly competitive, exam-oriented educational systems. Based on Career Construction Theory (CCT) and the performance model of Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), this study tested whether academic self-efficacy, academic outcome expectations, and metacognitive strategies mediated this association. A three-wave longitudinal study was conducted with 519 students from two general high schools in central China (40.85% boys; mean age = 16.28 years, SD = 0.82). Career adaptability was measured at Time 1, the three mediators were measured at Time 2, and academic achievement was measured at Time 1 and Time 3 using standardized examination scores in Chinese, mathematics, and English. After controlling for baseline achievement and demographic covariates, structural equation modeling with bias-corrected bootstrapping showed that T1 career adaptability had a significant total effect on T3 academic achievement, whereas the direct effect was nonsignificant after the mediators were included. Significant indirect effects were found through academic self-efficacy and metacognitive strategies. Academic outcome expectations did not significantly mediate the association, and the pathway from academic self-efficacy to academic outcome expectations was not supported. These findings indicate that career adaptability may contribute to later academic achievement mainly through students’ academic self-efficacy and metacognitive strategy use. Full article