Well-Being and Coping Strategies in Educational Psychology

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

Studies now show that the academic and work environment can be one of the most stressful environments, affecting emotional health and psychological well-being. The degree to which people adapt to educational environments depends on their coping strategies for dealing with the adverse situations and minor annoyances of everyday life that occur within them. This Topic aims to invite submissions of unpublished empirical studies, theoretical reviews and descriptions of intervention programs dealing with coping and resilience, especially in areas such as health psychology, clinical psychology, school psychology, counseling psychology, developmental and educational psychology, etc. Examples of studies relevant to this Topic include those focusing on coping with everyday stressful situations in contexts such as academic and technological stress or stress related to the use of artificial intelligence, problems with peers, strategies used in the face of learning difficulties and educational needs, bullying in the educational context, gender identity discrimination, or burnout, among others. Likewise, studies focused on examining the relationships between stress coping strategies and other constructs such as happiness, mindfulness, life satisfaction, and well-being in different academic and socio-occupational settings are also welcome.

Dr. Francisco Manuel Morales Rodríguez
Dr. Juan Pedro Martínez-Ramón
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Behavioral Sciences behavsci	2.5	3.1	2011	29.6 Days	CHF 2200	Submit
Education Sciences education	2.6	5.5	2011	29.2 Days	CHF 1800	Submit
European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education ejihpe	2.6	5.1	2011	29.7 Days	CHF 1600	Submit
Social Sciences socsci	1.7	3.1	2012	34.5 Days	CHF 1800	Submit
Sustainability sustainability	3.3	7.7	2009	19.3 Days	CHF 2400	Submit

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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All Behavioral Sciences Education Sciences EJIHPE Social Sciences Sustainability

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19 pages, 500 KB  

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction on University Teachers’ Work Engagement in the Context of Education for Sustainable Development: A Chain Mediation Model

by Xiaohan Zhang and Mankeun Yoon

Sustainability 2025, 17(24), 11140; https://doi.org/10.3390/su172411140 - 12 Dec 2025

Viewed by 241

Abstract

University teachers are key contributors to achieving the objectives of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), and their work engagement directly influences teaching quality, research productivity, and student development. However, the role of teachers’ internal resources in promoting work engagement has received limited empirical [...] Read more.

University teachers are key contributors to achieving the objectives of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), and their work engagement directly influences teaching quality, research productivity, and student development. However, the role of teachers’ internal resources in promoting work engagement has received limited empirical attention, particularly in Eastern cultural contexts. Based on the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model, this study examines how the satisfaction of basic psychological needs affects university teachers’ work engagement, with organizational identification and job satisfaction serving as potential mediators. A total of 483 participants completed the survey, and data were analyzed using mediation analysis. Results indicated that basic psychological need satisfaction was positively associated with teachers’ work engagement. Furthermore, organizational identification and job satisfaction both mediated this relationship, individually and sequentially, thereby enhancing teachers’ engagement through a chain mediation mechanism. These findings shed light on the psychological processes underlying university teachers’ work engagement and provide theoretical and practical implications for fostering sustained motivation and proactive participation in ESD-related teaching and research. This study also contributes to extending the application of the JD-R model in higher education settings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Well-Being and Coping Strategies in Educational Psychology)

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20 pages, 371 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Exploring the Dimensionality of the Perceived Cost of Learning High School Mathematics

by Saule Raiziene, Lauryna Rakickiene and Dovile Butkiene

Eur. J. Investig. Health Psychol. Educ. 2025, 15(12), 240; https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe15120240 - 26 Nov 2025

Viewed by 296

Abstract

The concept of cost, defined as the perceived negative consequences of engaging in a task, is an important yet understudied component of the expectancy–value theory of student motivation. In this study, we examined the multidimensional cost structure in mathematics learning, focusing on four [...] Read more.

The concept of cost, defined as the perceived negative consequences of engaging in a task, is an important yet understudied component of the expectancy–value theory of student motivation. In this study, we examined the multidimensional cost structure in mathematics learning, focusing on four facets proposed in recent research: effort, opportunity, emotional, and ego costs. Participants consisted of 1483 ninth-grade students from 24 public schools in Lithuania (56.04% girls; M = 14.88 years). Students completed a questionnaire developed to assess the four cost dimensions, along with measures of their intentions to pursue mathematics, procrastination, and negative classroom emotions; academic achievement data were obtained from school records. Using a split-sample design, we used exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to test alternative structural representations of cost. A comparison of correlated-factor, higher-order, and bifactor models indicated that the correlated-factor ESEM model best fitted the data, supporting the specificity of the four distinct cost dimensions. Specific associations of each cost dimension with study outcomes further supported this differentiation, with ego cost most notably diverging from the other three cost dimensions. The results confirm the distinct nature of the four cost dimensions and underscore the importance of examining their separate roles in students’ mathematics learning, contributing to the existing evidence from a comparatively understudied cultural context. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Well-Being and Coping Strategies in Educational Psychology)

16 pages, 656 KB  

Open AccessArticle

The Roles of Teachers and Contextual and Motivational Factors in Young Learners’ Motivation: A Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) Approach

by Mai Sri Lena and Marianne Nikolov

Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(10), 1388; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15101388 - 17 Oct 2025

Viewed by 1024

Abstract

Motivation is a key variable in successful learning of English, and it is influenced by many factors. However, little research has examined teachers’ roles in motivating young learners (YLs) to learn English. Therefore, this study investigates how teachers’ roles and contextual and motivational [...] Read more.

Motivation is a key variable in successful learning of English, and it is influenced by many factors. However, little research has examined teachers’ roles in motivating young learners (YLs) to learn English. Therefore, this study investigates how teachers’ roles and contextual and motivational factors predict YLs’ motivation to learn English by assessing whether teachers’ roles impact motivation directly or indirectly. Using a novel teacher perspective, the study incorporates these elements into a Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) framework, highlighting direct and indirect pathways affecting children’s motivation. The study employed a quantitative approach by using a valid and reliable questionnaire, with strong internal consistency (CR ranged between 0.69 and 0.86 and α ranged between 0.70 and 0.86) to collect data from 225 English teachers of fifth graders. SEM was used for data analysis. Teachers weakly influenced YLs’ motivation to learn English (β = 0.281), but strongly impacted classroom contextual and motivational factors (β = 0.839). These factors significantly affected YLs’ motivation (β = 0.614) and mediated the impact of teachers’ roles (β = 0.515). Teachers significantly influenced YLs’ motivation by playing a crucial indirect role in shaping the learning environment that enhances students’ desire to learn when contextual and motivational factors mediate the effect. The findings suggest that schools should provide training programs that help teachers create motivational learning environments, such as providing meaningful tasks to motivate YLs intrinsically and extrinsically. The study adds further evidence to motivation theories, including self-determination theory, and sociocultural perspectives that recognize the role of contextual and interpersonal factors in shaping learners’ motivation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Well-Being and Coping Strategies in Educational Psychology)

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15 pages, 262 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Association Between Academic, Cognitive and Health-Related Variables with Academic Stress in Health Sciences University Students

by Aniel Jessica Leticia Brambila-Tapia, Edgar Ulises Velarde-Partida, Laura Arely Carrillo-Delgadillo, Fabiola Macías-Espinoza and Saúl Ramírez-De los Santos

Behav. Sci. 2025, 15(9), 1219; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15091219 - 8 Sep 2025

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Abstract

Academic stress arises from students facing academic demands and is linked to various academic and psychological factors. However, research has yet to explore its potential correlations with somatization, overall health issues, studying strategies, academic procrastination, academic performance, and intelligence scores. The objective of [...] Read more.

Academic stress arises from students facing academic demands and is linked to various academic and psychological factors. However, research has yet to explore its potential correlations with somatization, overall health issues, studying strategies, academic procrastination, academic performance, and intelligence scores. The objective of this study was to determine the potential correlations between such variables with academic stress in a sample of health sciences university students. University students of different bachelor’s programs were invited to participate; they fulfilled an electronic questionnaire with personal and psychological variables, including academic stress, and performed an intelligence test, which measures verbal and non-verbal intelligence. Finally, their academic achievement was measured with the grade point average (GPA). A total of 437 students were included, of which 296 (67.7%) were women, with a mean age of 20.36 ± 2.61 years old. Academic stress was higher in women than in men and showed moderate positive correlations with anxiety, depression, and somatization and a low positive correlation with the sum of diseases. It also showed a low negative correlation with sleep quality. In addition, academic stress correlated negatively with self-motivation, emotion perception, and emotion management as well as with active coping, positive relations with others, and the studying strategies (self-regulation, effort regulation, critical thinking, and time and study environment). We also observed a low positive correlation between academic stress and academic procrastination, which was higher in women than in men. No correlations were found with GPA or intelligence scores. In conclusion, academic stress was positively correlated with somatization, depression, anxiety, the sum of diseases, and academic procrastination; it was negatively correlated with emotional intelligence (mainly self-motivation), active coping, and specific studying strategies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Well-Being and Coping Strategies in Educational Psychology)

20 pages, 275 KB  

Open AccessArticle

“My Future”: A Qualitative Examination of Hope in the Lives of Black Emerging Adults

by William Terrell Danley, Benson Cooke and Nathalie Mizelle

Soc. Sci. 2025, 14(7), 428; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14070428 - 11 Jul 2025

Viewed by 813

Abstract

The presence of hope significantly influences how youth interpret possibilities and commit to future-oriented action. This qualitative study investigates how fifteen Black emerging adults, ages eighteen to twenty-five, living in a major United States urban city on the East Coast, describe their aspirations, [...] Read more.

The presence of hope significantly influences how youth interpret possibilities and commit to future-oriented action. This qualitative study investigates how fifteen Black emerging adults, ages eighteen to twenty-five, living in a major United States urban city on the East Coast, describe their aspirations, goal-setting strategies, and responses to personal and structural challenges. Participants were categorized as connected or disconnected based on their engagement in school, work, or training programs. Using Reflexive Thematic Analysis of interviews, the research identified key differences in agency, emotional orientation, and access to guidance between the two groups. Connected participants often described clear, structured goals supported by networks of mentorship and opportunity. Disconnected participants expressed meaningful hope, yet described fewer supports and greater uncertainty in achieving their goals. These findings highlight how consistent exposure to guidance and structured environments strengthens future orientation and internal motivation. These results deepen our understanding of how young people experience hope across diverse contexts and show that mentorship, intentional goal setting, and greater access to opportunity play a vital role in sustaining hopeful thinking during the transition to adulthood. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Well-Being and Coping Strategies in Educational Psychology)

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