Previous research focused on individuals’ background, contexts and cognitive performance in education, work, and life. Given the increasing number of people living alone temporarily, the question arises whether the frequent use of skills, including social skills, relates to individuals’ later positively self-evaluated skills and social lives. Based on an integrated framework, the current analysis aimed to disentangle these relationships with longitudinal data from Germany over three years. The target sample consisted of n = 3263 working adults. A Bayesian structural equation model included adults’ frequent use of skills, self-evaluated skills, household size, close friends, and seven covariates (e.g., numeracy and literacy test scores, weekly working hours. The results suggested positive relationships between adults’ frequent use of numeracy, literacy, and social skills and later self-evaluations (except literacy used on self-evaluated numeracy). Those who less frequently used social skills three years earlier were also less likely to have a larger household size than those who reporting frequently using their social skills. Adults who frequently used literacy skills three years earlier reported higher numbers of close friends than those who less frequently used literacy. The findings highlight the importance of adults’ social skills and frequently used skills for self-evaluated numeracy and literacy.

Dyslexia is traditionally regarded as a disability which has an impact on the learning process of reading, spelling and writing. This study attempts to explore the character strengths, flourishing, resilience, and perceptions of professional success and satisfaction of 477 Greek adults. The sample consisted of 30 adults with an official diagnosis of dyslexia, 103 adults who scored above the threshold limit in the Dyslexia Checklist, and 344 adults who did not report any leaning difficulty. The following instruments were employed in the study: the Brief Resilience Scale, the Flourishing Scale, and subscales of the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths 120 (creativity, perseverance, social intelligence and teamwork). The results show that the dyslexic group scored higher in creativity and teamwork in comparison to the control group. No statistical differences were observed in professional success and satisfaction between the groups. Level of education seems to correlate with creativity. The prediction models showed a negative correlation of social intelligence with suspected dyslexia and a very low prediction of flourishing and resilience on the basis of dyslexia status. Positive traits of dyslexia are worth further study. Identifying strengths among people with dyslexia might be helpful for implementing new educational interventions and strategies.

Due to the notably increased penetration of smartphone use among university students and the alarming risk it poses to both physical and mental health, this study investigated mobile phone addiction among university students concerning student characteristics, mobile phone usage behaviors, and mobile phone use purposes and situations. The participants of this study were 600 university students, who were selected according to the convenience sampling method from different departments in Türkiye. The data were collected using the student characteristics form and the Mobile Phone Addiction Scale. The correlational research method was followed in the study. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed that students clustered as addicted and non-addicted had different mobile phone use behaviors on account of daily smartphone use duration, internet use duration on a smartphone, and daily smartphone check frequency. Being a female at a lower grade level and using mobile phones mostly at night made students more vulnerable to mobile phone addiction. Additionally, the results indicated a significant positive moderate correlation between internet use duration, daily smartphone use duration, daily smartphone check frequency, and mobile phone addiction scores. Lastly, checking social media apps, messaging, and editing photos significantly contributed to mobile phone addiction scores. Among the mobile phone use situations, when getting bored, during lessons, when watching TV or movies, and when being alone significantly contributed to mobile phone addiction scores. This study provided a thorough discussion and a set of recommendations.  

The use of grades as an extrinsic motivator in formal schooling has been demonstrated in previous research to have negative implications for students’ learning and mental health. This subject matter has been particularly absent from the research literature in Vietnam, where the obsession with grades is self-evident. The present study aims to explore Vietnamese university students’ orientations toward learning and grades, learning strategy use, mental well-being, and how these variables correlate. In addition, the study examines the potential interplay between learning orientation and grade orientation to influence the latter two variables. A quantitative research design was employed to achieve these goals. Survey responses were collected from 38 second- and third-year students majoring in English Language at a large, public university during a summer semester. Specifically for learning strategy use, participants were directed to pull from their experiences in a Public Speaking course that they had completed in the previous semester. Results revealed that a learning orientation was moderately related to both adaptive learning strategy use and mental wellness, whereas a grade orientation was only negatively related to learning strategy use and unrelated to mental well-being. Moreover, a strong learning orientation alone resulted in the most positive outcomes for both learning and mental health, and higher levels of grade orientation weakened those outcomes. Limitations of the study, directions for future research in this area, and implications for students and educators are then discussed.  

In recent years, children and adolescents have spent more time sitting and engaging in less physical activity than recommended by health authorities. Despite widespread efforts to promote physical activity through school-based programs, the impact of specific intervention programs often remains untested. Therefore, in this pilot study, the effects of a national school-based physical activity program were assessed. A sample of 80 first- and second-grade primary school students aged between 7 and 9 years (M = 7.95, SD = 0.44) of eight classes was cluster randomly assigned to either the experimental group (EG; classroom-based physical activity breaks) or the control group (CG; conventional school lessons). Primary outcomes included objective measurements of sedentary behaviour, step counts, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during the intervention. Secondary outcomes encompassed assessments of aerobic fitness performance, executive functions, academic achievement, and scholastic well-being before and after the 20-week intervention. The results indicate that students of the EG spent less time sedentary and took more steps during school mornings than their counterparts of the CG. The physical activity program resulted in a 630-step increase and a 10-minute reduction in sitting time daily. However, there were no effects on MVPA level, aerobic fitness performance, or cognitive functions (including executive functions and academic achievement). The implications of these findings are discussed in light of comprehensive school physical activity approaches.

According to the systems perspective, the influence of various systems (e.g., family, school, community) on children's behavior at school is highly acknowledged. It is therefore accepted that problem behavior in the classroom originates from social interactions, providing a conceptual framework where problems are seen as indicative of dysfunction within the school system, thus removing blame from the individual child, the teacher, or the parents. Addressing the importance of interactions among students, teachers, and parents in this system, the present study aimed to identify and compare the types of behaviors that Greek primary and secondary teachers and parents view as problematic in the classroom. A sample of 378 teachers and 69 parents were asked to identify which behaviors were considered troublesome. Exploratory factor analysis revealed five categories of behaviors perceived as problematic by parents and teachers: Externalizing behaviors, School Difficulties, Internalizing behaviors, Attention seeking behaviors, and Hyperactivity/attention difficulties. Both teachers and parents considered externalizing behaviors to be more troublesome than other types of behavior. Teachers tend to worry less than parents about all types of children’s behaviors, except for school difficulties. The findings highlight the importance of considering diverse perspectives within the school system when designing interventions to address the specific needs of school communities while also promoting collaboration among all members of the school system.