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Public speaking often imposes a nerve-wracking atmosphere in the L2 classrooms. Consequently, an alternative to the anxiety-arousing activity by using advanced technology for pedagogy is urgent. Prior publications reported the use of virtual reality (VR) for training public speaking and alleviating students' public speaking anxiety (PSA). However, no latest review in this area has been published. This present study employed a systematic review to delineate the trends in the latest decade (between 2011 and 2023), synthesizing research outcomes, methodologies, loci, participants, treatment duration, and research focuses. This systematic review was based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Conceptual and theoretical studies were removed, yielding 16 studies with empirical data to be thoroughly examined. Most studies indicated the effectiveness of VR for teaching public speaking and reducing speech apprehension. Several gaps were disclosed, such as the inconsistency of the research findings regarding whether the short duration of VR exposure resulted in the statistically non-significant effects, the unequal distribution of research loci which were mostly reported from the US, the UK, and Europe, and the major focus on English as L1 instead of L2 public speaking training. The results of this review suggest that more pertinent studies in countries with EFL or L2 learning contexts and longer treatment duration be conducted and reported in the globally renowned English-language journals to verify the effectiveness of VR technology in treating PSA.

Are children from "Eastern" cultures less emotionally expressive and reactive than children from "Western" cultures? To answer this, we used a multi-level and multi-contextual approach to understand variations in emotion displays and cortisol reactivity among preschoolers living in China and the United States. One hundred two preschoolers from China (N = 58; 55% males) and the United States (N = 44, 48% males) completed three (i.e., control, interpersonal-related, and achievement-related) emotion-challenging paradigms over 3 days. Behavioral emotion expressions were coded, and salivary cortisol was sampled 30 minutes before and across 90 minutes post-task. Without considering context, Chinese preschoolers displayed fewer levels of positive and negative emotion expressions relative to their United States counterparts. However, Chinese preschoolers displayed similar levels of expressions as their United States counterparts during an achievement-related challenge that is more salient to their sociocultural emphases and showed higher negative emotion expressions in this challenge, relative to other contexts. Moreover, only the achievement-related challenge elicited increased cortisol levels among Chinese preschoolers, and this was correlated with higher levels of negative expressions. For US preschoolers, no cortisol increase was observed in any challenging paradigms, nor was cortisol associated with emotional expressions. Findings counter prior notions that East Asian children are generally less emotionally expressive. Instead, an achievement-related challenge elicited higher emotion expression and cortisol reactivity among Chinese preschoolers, suggesting that children's emotion expression and biological reactivity may be most responsive to contexts salient to their socio-cultural environments. We discuss the importance of considering cultural contexts when studying emotion regulation.

The purpose of this study is to determine the variables that affect career transition levels of Turkish and U.S. participants. For this purpose, 336 (n[subscript U.S.] = 151; n[subscript Turkey] = 185) participants who reported their socio-economic level as middle experiencing career transition at least for 2-3 months are included in the study. According to the Career Transition Model, hopelessness and trait anxiety affect Turkish participants' career transition significantly, but do not have such an effect for U.S. participants. In addition to this, social support does not affect career transition of Turkish participants significantly, and this is also true for U.S. participants. Finally, the Career Transition Model does not show a significant difference based on culture.

The emergence of ChatGPT, a Generative AI program, has sparked discussions about its teaching and learning value, and concerns about academic integrity in higher education (HE). An extant review of the literature indicates that a scarcity of research exists on GenAI, specifically a synthesis of the official views, guidelines and articles of top-ranked universities on the use, limitations, challenges, and opportunities brought by ChatGPT in the early phase when ChatGPT was released in 2022 until early May 2023, which can offer insights into the concerns and recommendations for educators. Using the corpus assisted discourse analysis approach, this study identified the key themes and emotions elicited by evaluations of the ChatGPT situation from a self-built corpus containing 151 articles from 47 top-ranked U.S. universities and 34 U.K. ones. Our findings indicated three prominent themes discussed on official websites, including ChatGPT as a text and content generator, use of ChatGPT in teaching and learning, and potential implications and opportunities of using ChatGPT in HE. Further examination revealed that bias, concern, worry, threat, fear, and trust were the prevailing emotions relating to ChatGPT. Illustrated with examples collected from our corpus, this paper offers an in-depth discussion of universities' first responses to the use of ChatGPT. The insights gained have some pedagogical implications for academics, researchers and educators and may inform policy and practice in HE on the use of GenAI.

Objective: This study examined the relationship between perceived discrimination and psychological distress among international students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A total of 188 international students from two large U.S. universities participated in the study. Perceived discrimination, psychological distress, and demographic information were assessed using self-reported questionnaires. Results: COVID-related variables and perceived discrimination were significantly associated with international students' psychological distress. Their COVID-related anxiety mediated the relationship between perceived discrimination and psychological distress. Conclusion: Initiatives to mitigate the perceived discrimination experienced by international students may improve their mental health.

Purpose: This study offers insight on the impact of virtual team projects (VTPs) of varying types (global vs domestic teams, technology vs non-tech projects) on competency and anxiety outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: Paired-sample t-tests and ANOVA tests were performed on student survey responses pre- and post-engagement of different VTPs. Findings: The results demonstrated positive effects of VTPs on intercultural sensitivity (ISS), computer self-efficacy, perceived ease of use of online learning and COVID-19 anxiety. ISS ("interaction confidence") improved more for students in the global vs. domestic teams and technology-related outcomes (CSE, PEU and computer anxiety) and ISS ("respect for cultural differences") improved more for students that participated in tech projects, whereas COVID-19 anxiety lessened more for those that participated in non-tech projects. Originality/value: The study expands understanding of the Technology Acceptance Model and provides insight into the ISS literature showing that VTPs could be a worthwhile pedagogical approach for improving student competencies and anxiety during times of academic disruption, but that project type can influence these changes.

Engineering students enter a challenging sector in higher education and are potentially at risk of poor mental health and or mental wellbeing and less likely to seek help when experiencing poor mental health or wellbeing. We carried out a scoping review using Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review methodology. Ten databases were searched over a three-year period. Searches identified 191 sources of evidence after title screening and 33 sources of evidence were included for final extraction following full-text screening. Included studies represented over 4000 engineering students from 10 countries. Studies were mostly pilots, suggesting a lack of diverse research methods in the existing research base. Studies also varied in approaches to reporting. Interventions included training, relaxation, technology use, alternative teaching models, support services and a study break with a range of outcome measures used to evaluate intervention effects. Study results indicated reduced stress and anxiety, improved academic achievement, improved communication, motivation, physiological responses, attitude, and increased physical activity, health awareness, and confidence. Mindfulness activities appear to be helpful to engineering students. The review mapped interventions to support mental health and wellbeing in engineering students but identified a need for further high-quality robust studies that are transparently reported using reporting guidelines.

The Caring for Bliss Scale (CBS) is a new measure that assesses an individuals' capacity to cultivate inner joy and happiness. Developed in the United States, its generalizability remains unknown in non-Western contexts. This research explored the scale's cross-national invariance among college students in the Philippines (n = 546) and the United States (n = 643). A multi-group confirmatory factor analysis using maximum likelihood estimation showed that the unidimensional model of caring for bliss exhibited configural, metric, scalar, and residual invariance across the Filipino and the U.S. samples. This scale also had good internal consistency estimates in both settings. In both contexts, caring for bliss was positively correlated with well-being and negatively correlated with different negative quality of life indicators (i.e., stress, anxiety, and depression). This study offered preliminary evidence regarding the cross-national applicability of the CBS in different cultural settings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this study, we review institutional and psychological predictors of university students' mental health help-seeking intentions, depression, anxiety, resilience, and perceived university support and structure. An online survey was completed by a convenience sample of 199 university students from the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe (age 18-56 years). A multiple regression analysis identified only depression and perceived university support and structure to be significant predictors of student help-seeking. Organisational structure and support facilities that may benefit student help-seeking and wellbeing are discussed.

The genesis and spread of COVID-19 around the world since 2020 have caused severe impacts in every aspect of people's lives, from work life to recreation, social activities to physical health. Higher education has not been excluded. Universities have altered curriculum, changed delivery methods, provided more counseling, purchased new technology, and altered attendance policy for classroom, athletic, social and artistic events (Hamlin, 2021). To assess the impacts of these changes on college students, the authors created a questionnaire to ask students about their perceptions of these COVID-related impacts on their own personal lives. The survey had 56 questions about how the virus affected their academic, social, financial, physical and emotional lives. Over 800 students responded with objective input and subjective comments. Due to the volume of data, the authors have split the study into two parts. The survey results for the first part, academic and social aspects of the survey, were published in "Understanding the Impact of Covid-19 on College Student Academic and Social Lives," Research in Higher Education Journal Volume 41 (see http://www.aabri.com/manuscripts/213347.pdf). It will sometimes be referred to herein to provide clarity to the reader. The actual survey itself can also be found at that site. This paper focuses on the impact of the coronavirus on student financial and physical well-being, which have become major stressors to this age group and have contributed to higher levels of anxiety and depression. It also examines how the virus has affected their social and emotional well-being. Lastly, recommendations are made to help educators understand the severity of the problem, and to take action to provide assistance for those students who have been adversely affected.

This study aims to answer the following main question: What are the possible factors that cause foreign language anxiety (FLA) among Saudi Arabian female students living and studying English as a foreign language in the US? Data were obtained from interviewing nine Saudi females learning English as a second language in the US. There has been increased research into foreign language learning and anxiety. Some studies have focused on Western students learning a foreign language in a Western setting, while others have involved Asian students, ignoring other perspectives. Due to the significant increase in Saudi women currently studying in the US, this study investigated FLA among this population accustomed to segregated classrooms. The results revealed that the participants exhibited some commonly cited FLA types (e.g., communication apprehension, test anxiety, and the fear of negative evaluation). Still, the role of their Saudi cultural background may have been equally important in influencing their FLA. Future research might include a larger sample of students and teachers to investigate FLA and help elucidate students' experiences.

The main purpose of this quantitative study was to explore undergraduates' anxiety level, as well as the correlation and differences among such variables as the sources of anxiety, students' GPAs, grade levels, and majors. The research results indicated that undergraduates at a flagship university in the northwest, United States, were moderately anxious. There was no statistically significant difference in anxiety level and GPAs between domestic and international students. There was no statistically significant correlation between the anxiety and GPA concerning grade levels. Based on sources of anxiety and grade levels, undergraduates suffered exam anxiety most, and presentation anxiety came second. Freshmen' anxiety level related to all sources was highest. Seniors were least anxious. There were statistically significant differences in the anxiety level related to specific sources regarding grade levels, except for presentation source of anxiety. Built on anxiety sources and majors, Human Services students had the highest level of anxiety. The least anxious was Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources students. The study concluded that higher education institutions should implement effective policies, procedures and practices to mitigate students' anxiety level and thus improve their mental health and well-being.

The lack of exchange between international students and host nationals in Japan has long been a pressing issue, yet very little progress has been made to rectify this situation. In this study, we examined this issue by focusing on how international students in Japan perceive cultural contact with their host and home culture members during their sojourn. The study applied a qualitative approach based on grounded theory, collecting data through semi-structured interviews with 41 international students from China, the United Kingdom, and the United States. According to the social identity and anxiety/uncertainty management approach, we interpreted the findings on how international students manage uncertainty in the Japanese environment by identifying with the host and their own home cultures for their psychological well-being, which we distinguished as intercultural or intracultural contact orientation. International students demonstrated an intracultural rather than intercultural contact orientation due to the host nationals reacting to them as "foreigners."

There are numerous scholarly articles that focus on Chinese Students' decisions to go overseas and challenges they face in American High Schools. These research generates a holistic view on the subject., with many of them agreeing each other. Yet, despite many scholarly articles discussing this topic, I find few of these studies originate from students who have lived through the experience of having left China to study abroad in the US themselves. This essay will explore and investigate the experience of Chinese students in US high schools through a combination of personal experience and scholarly articles. Some of the results go in accordance with the scholarly articles, while some deviate away from the findings.

Incarcerated girls have disproportionately higher rates of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse compared with their nonincarcerated peers. Failure to address this trauma and abuse can lead to mental health disabilities such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and anti-social behaviors. Many girls who experience trauma engage in criminal behaviors as a response to these unresolved issues. The punitive nature of correctional confinement only exacerbates their mental health disabilities. This article examines the correctional confinement experiences for girls with mental health disabilities in the United States, where there is a large population of incarcerated girls, and Costa Rica, a country with fewer incarcerated girls. Policy changes are suggested to minimize the punitive nature of correctional confinement and to enhance the services and support systems available to incarcerated girls with mental health disabilities.

This article examines the relationship between internalizing dimensions of emotional and behavioral disorders such as depression and anxiety with unresolved trauma and abuse among incarcerated girls in Mexico and the United States. The goal is to arrive at a better understanding of (a) how mental health conditions may contribute to deviant behavior, (b) how girls with disabilities may be disproportionately punished because of their gender and disability status, and (c) the limited capabilities of personnel in correctional facilities to diagnose disabilities in incarcerated girls or identify girls who have not been diagnosed. The results, supported by the "chivalry hypothesis," demonstrate the need for a gender-informed response to dealing with girls' deviant behaviors, as well as trauma-informed practices to address mental health disabilities and victimization among delinquent girls in both the United States and Mexico.

This study explores the unique experience of disrupted sojourns and early reentry among U.S. college students who were abruptly repatriated from their study abroad experience in March 2020. Using a combination of focus groups and interviews with 25 U.S. returning students, the findings suggest that students' experiences were characterized by themes of accelerated reentry and a deep grieving process, as well as numerous financial, academic, interpersonal, and COVID-19 related stressors. The findings also highlight returning students' coping strategies of staying busy, seeking social support, and reframing the situation under a positive light. This research provides insights into the challenges and adjustments associated with a heretofore unstudied phenomenon of early reentry among returning students. Important practical implications for study abroad programs and administrators who might face additional cases of early reentry due to the uncertainty of the pandemic are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes of an online self-compassion intervention for transgender adolescents, with the aim of improving mental health. Participants identified as transgender or gender expansive, were between the ages of 13 and 17, and lived in the U.S. or Canada. The empirically-based self-compassion program, "Mindful Self-Compassion for Teens" (formerly "Making Friends with Yourself") was implemented in eight 1.5 hour sessions on the Zoom platform by two trained instructors. Surveys were administered pre-, post-intervention, and at 3 months follow-up, and qualitative data were collected through end-of-program interviews and open-ended questions on the post-survey. All protocols were approved by the university IRB. Quantitative data analysis included repeated measures ANOVAs, and qualitative data were analyzed via both inductive and deductive methods. Results indicated that all but one psychosocial measure significantly improved from pre- to post-intervention, which then significantly improved at 3-month follow-up; most other improvements were maintained at follow-up. Four themes emerged from the qualitative data: "virtual safe space"; "connection to body"; "personal growth"; and "recommended course changes" and are discussed. Results suggest that self-compassion interventions can be incorporated into therapy programs to support and improve mental health for transgender adolescents.

Cooperative education is a form of work-integrated learning that includes both classroom study terms and paid work experience. Prior work has studied the benefits of cooperative education for students, employers, and academic institutions. In contrast, this article studies the impact of co-operative education on students' mental well-being. This is done by mining the Reddit social media platform, which includes, among many other topics, discussion communities for major U.S. and Canadian colleges. This analysis reveals that students report feelings of self-doubt resulting from a competitive co-op job market, especially when placed in entry-level jobs that are not related to their academic programs, and anxiety due to job interviews, especially when they coincide with exams and other academic deadlines. Additionally, recent discussions frequently point out cancelled work terms due to the COVID-19 pandemic, creating even more competition, financial hardship, and pressure to make alternate academic or employment arrangements.

Objectives: To characterize the health behaviors and outcomes of first-year international students (FYIS) studying in the U.S. Participants and methods: Three different cohorts of FYIS from a large midwestern university in the U.S. completed three laboratory visits between August and March. The study began in 2017 and ended in March 2020. Anthropometrics, acculturative stress, eating behaviors, sleep, physical activity, and eating habits were assessed. Results: Fifty-four students completed the study. Females had a significant increase in percent body fat (p = 0.036) and a decrease in sleep quality (p = 0.006) at the final visit vs. baseline, and uncontrolled (p = 0.006) and emotional (p < 0.001) eating behaviors were higher. FYIS who gained more than the median 1.2 kg over the study period experienced higher acculturative stress (p = 0.004) and a decline in sleep quality (p = 0.003). Conclusion: Reducing acculturative stress and improving sleep quality should be explored as interventions to protect against undesirable changes in adiposity among FYIS.

Child abuse can have serious long-term physical, psychological, behavioural, societal and economic consequences. The aim of this scoping review was to map the literature on abuse prevention programs conducted at schools for pre-teenage children. The review outlines the specific components and methods of the programs, the measurements used and the results obtained. The review included 4135 children, 1841 parents, 16 teachers and two school counsellors. A scoping review of published articles was conducted following the Joanna Briggs methodology. PubMed, PSYCInfo, ERIC, The Cochrane Library and CINAHL were searched for articles published between 1989 and 2018. The search yielded 2042 publications of which nine met the inclusion criteria. Eight of the publications reported positive results. One publication reported mixed results in terms of the safety skills and knowledge of the participating children. There were several similarities between the programs regarding key components and methods of delivery. None of the articles included children with disabilities, even though they are particularly vulnerable of becoming victims of abuse.

This mixed-methods study explores international undergraduates' perceptions of social engagement with American peers at a US university comparing online to face-to-face environments. It addresses gaps in research on the social engagement of international undergraduates and on employing participant-generated visual approaches to investigation. Descriptive statistics from survey data showed that, while international students reported greater satisfaction, frequency, and comfort in engaging with American peers in face-to-face versus online contexts, they did not rate their overall of face-to-face interaction as highly as Americans did nor as lowly for online environments. Thematically analyzed qualitative data from photo-elicitation interviews prompted seven themes (disconnectedness, loneliness/homesickness, discourse expectations, building friendships, diversity and intercultural issues, anxieties, conflict) illuminating the nuances in attitudes among international undergraduates toward social engagement. Results suggest possible distinctions between international students based on region as a potential area of future study.

Student athletes from different cultures might differ in the ways that they experience competitive anxiety, and their coaches with dissimilar cultural backgrounds might also present distinct behavioral traits in coaching. The study assessed and compared the competitive anxiety experienced by Chinese student athletes (in a collectivist culture) and American student athletes (in an individualist culture) by using a new competitive anxiety model and examined how their distinct ways of experiencing competitive anxiety might relate to the leading behaviors of Chinese and American coaches. Method: Relevant measures were administered to 258 Chinese student athletes and 214 American student athletes to assess their competitive anxiety and perceived leading behaviors of their coaches. Results: Chinese student athletes scored significantly higher on social expectation anxiety and somatic anxiety in comparison with American student athletes. Chinese student athletes perceived higher levels of training and instruction, and autocratic behaviors of coaches, and American student athletes perceived higher levels of democratic behaviors of coaches. Conclusions: This study revealed the different ways of experiencing certain aspects of competitive anxiety between Chinese and American student athletes, which could be at least partially explained by the distinct leading behaviors of Chinese and American coaches perceived by student athletes in the research.

This study describes mental health problems and needs among a sample of college students from the United States studying abroad in Italy. Overall, students surveyed had relatively low clinical diagnostic thresholds for psychological distress. Individual symptoms were more prevalent and included difficulty sleeping, eating problems (poor appetite or overeating), irritability, and anxiety. Findings from this study offer recommendations for study abroad professionals to screen, monitor, and engage students about their mental health well-being while abroad.

This research examines whether prior research may not have detected cultural-specificity in the role of controlling and autonomy-supportive parenting in children's adjustment because of reliance on between-individual analyses. In two longitudinal studies (Ns = 825 and 934) of early adolescents, within-individual analyses were conducted to examine the reciprocal pathways between children's reports of parenting and their reports of their adjustment in the United States and China. Increments in controlling parenting predicted decrements in children's emotional and behavioral, but generally not academic, adjustment over time, with little evidence that this was stronger in the United States than in China. Decrements in children's emotional and behavioral, but generally not academic, adjustment predicted increments in controlling parenting over time similarly in the two countries. There were few overtime pathways involving autonomy-supportive parenting in either direction in either country.

In this article, we begin by discussing approximately thirty picture books dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic published digitally in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and other English-speaking countries in the first six months of 2020. The worldwide impact of COVID-19 resulted in the rapid global digital publication of numerous English-language children's picture books aimed at informing child readers about public health concerns and how children could contribute to improving health outcomes. This exploration of contemporary picture books is intertwined with examinations of two other public health crises that appeared in literature for children: the discussion of British children's health in the Junior Red Cross Magazine in the 1920s and the American polio outbreak discussed in educational materials and fiction in the 1940s and 1950s. These comparisons not only enable us to situate the COVID-19 pandemic within a history of transnational responses to concerns about children's health but also to expand our understanding of how children are positioned to take individual responsibility for community public health issues. This wide range of Anglophone texts published in the United Kingdom, the United States, and around the world demonstrates the extent to which adults attempt to guide children towards specific behaviours to promote individual health. They also reflect a common understanding of childhood in which children have an obligation to contribute to societal wellbeing through their individual actions.

Objective: The study examined gender differences in the relationship between physical activity (PA) and psychological distress in college students. Participants: The participants were recruited at a university in the U.S. (91 subjects) and another university in South Korea (164 subjects) in November 2016. Methods: The subjects participated in an online survey. Results: PA had a significant association with a decrease of Psychological Distress only in women ([beta] = 0.27). Moreover, Social Support for PA ([beta] = 0.11) and PA Self-Efficacy ([beta] = 0.08) had an indirect effect on Psychological Distress only in Women. Conclusions: Only women showed a significant association between PA and psychological distress. PA Self-Efficacy and Social Support for PA were indirectly associated with Psychological Distress only in women. Moreover, women could be motivated to be physically active by both Social Support for PA and PA Self-Efficacy, whereas men could be motivated to exercise by PA Self-Efficacy.

Objective: University students face high levels of stress-related factors, such as an unfamiliar environment, challenging workload, and uncertainty about their ability to succeed. Participants: A total of 370 students in Qatar who consented to participate between February 2017 and February 2018. Methods: This cross-sectional study assessed perceived stress [using a validated 4-point perceived stress scale (PSS-4)], as well as diet, exercise, body mass index, sleep, and life satisfaction. Results: Among students aged 18-39 (mean = 20.1 ± 3.0 years), PSS-4 scores varied between 0 and 16 (mean = 7.4 ± 3.4). Elevated stress was significantly associated with female sex, country of origin, residing off-campus, eating when bored, lack of self-discipline, disturbed sleep, and low levels of life satisfaction. Furthermore, students with PSS-4 scores above the median level were 2.3 times likelier to report difficulty concentrating on academic work. Conclusion: Elevated stress levels are present in university students in Qatar. Strengthening coping skills may improve health and academic performance.

There is good evidence for an association between poor reading and anxiety, but the mechanisms responsible for this association are currently unknown. In this study, we used structural equation modeling of four large longitudinal databases from the United Kingdom (n = 7,870), the United States (ns = 8,001 and 7,160), and Australia (n = 768) to explore relations between reading and emotional health across childhood. We found that emotional health at age 5 was not related to reading at age 7 but that reading at 7 was related to emotional health at age 9 or 11. We also found that reading, behavior, and attention may be related across development. These findings suggest a working hypothesis that poor reading may have an influence on emotional health rather than vice versa.

This qualitative investigation explored the social and academic experiences of socially anxious adolescents and young adults in Portugal and the US as they lived through the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were 10 Portuguese adolescents (mean age = 16.9 years; 50% female) and 7 young adults in the US (mean age = 19.67 years; 71% female; racially/ethnically diverse). Participants completed a semi-structured interview evaluating how the pandemic and social restrictions impacted social anxiety symptoms and associated functional impairment in social and academic domains. Thematic analysis was used to categorize responses across developmental stages and countries. Findings show consistent patterns across cultures, with symptoms of SAD extending to virtual contexts. Participants reported avoidance behaviors that were reinforced by social distancing mandates and declines in academic engagement during remote learning. Anticipatory anxiety about the return to normal social routines was also evident. Schools should be aware of the impact of social confinement on socially anxious students as they return to in person school schedules and social demands.

The full potential of e-learning, a trend that is of growing importance lately, will not be reaped unless the users fully utilize the system, triggering extensive research to be conducted in order to provide valuable insight on a myriad of variables influencing user acceptance in e-learning systems. The main purpose of the study is to determine the factors that affect the intention of users to use e-learning and to get results which can guide system developers and researchers. In accordance with this purpose, 203 studies investigating the e-learning acceptance of the users through the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) were found in the literature. In those studies, variables which are suggested to determine Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) and results of related hypotheses are analyzed. Finally, a model is proposed. In this model, the most widely accepted hypotheses, affecting PU and PEOU according to the literature are included in the original TAM. As a result; it determines Self Efficacy-PEOU, Subjective Norm-PU, Self Efficacy-PU, Interaction-PU, Enjoyment-PEOU, Anxiety-PEOU, Enjoyment-PU, Compatibility-PU, Subjective Norm-PEOU and Interaction-PEOU as variables that have statistical significance in users' PU and PEOU, respectively. Moreover, the study examines the relationship between the User Satisfaction and original TAM variables, and proposes the Acceptance and Satisfaction Model for E-Learning (ASME) as a model to best explain the dependent variables described above.

A measurement invariance study was conducted among 1,344 college students from Canada and the United States on an anxiety measure specifically designed for the college student population to determine whether the construct of anxiety was equivalent across country (Canada, United States) and gender. In addition, country and gender differences were examined on the anxiety measure. The Adult Manifest Anxiety Scale-College Version (AMAS-C) was administered to the college students online. The AMAS-C consists of four anxiety (Physiological Anxiety, Social Concerns/Stress, Test Anxiety, and Worry/Oversensitivity) subscales, a Total Anxiety scale, and a Lie scale. Results of tests of measurement invariance found the construct of anxiety equivalent across country and gender and latent mean analyses found gender differences, but no country differences, on the AMAS-C anxiety factors. Implications of the findings for mental health professionals, educational practitioners, and current and future researchers who work with or who will work with the undergraduate student population in Canada are discussed.

Cross-cultural equivalence, country and gender differences, and external relations with other measures were examined on a new, brief measure of test anxiety, the Test Anxiety Measure for College Students-Short Form (TAMC-SF), in a sample of Canadian and US higher education students. The sample of 1204 students completed the TAMC-SF and other measures online. The results of tests of invariance found support for partial scalar invariance across country and gender on the TAMC-SF. In addition, results of a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and analysis of variances (ANOVAs) found country and gender differences on the TAMC-SF scales. Furthermore, validity evidence for the TAMC-SF scores with the scores of external measures was found. Overall, the findings support the use of the same test score interpretation for Canadian and US higher education students on the TAMC-SF and the use of the TAMC-SF in Canadian higher education students.

This article examines (im)obility in the global visa regime through the experiences of a Global South academic working in the Global North. Drawing on an autoethnographic account of a visa application, this article outlines the ways in which the global visa regime negatively affects a Global South academic's life. Visa regulations constitute a particular Global South academic subject in the Global North, one whose academic career is characterised by uncertainty and anxiety, as visas can limit access to promotions and to fieldwork and research opportunities. Visa experiences can thus contribute to alienation and non-belonging of Global South scholars in academia, while impacting knowledge production and teaching.

The current study compared responses from college students on a survey questionnaire about aging knowledge, aging attitudes, aging anxiety, experiences with older persons, and other related experiences. A total of 1124 college students from China (430), Japan (349), and the United States (345) participated in this study. They completed Palmore's Facts on Aging Quiz, Kogan's Attitudes toward Older persons Scale, and a modified Lasher and Faulkender's Aging Anxiety Scale. Cronbach's alphas indicated satisfactory reliability on all three scales for the three cultural groups of participants. They also reported their experiences with aging and the older adults including living with, taking care of, working with older persons, and taking a gerontology course. The results indicate that the Chinese students scored significantly higher than both the Japanese and Americans on Facts on Aging Quiz. Findings also show that overall, level of aging knowledge is positively related to aging attitudes and negatively related to aging anxiety. In addition, our study shows that very few students in all three countries have ever taken a gerontology related class. Further, past and current experiences with the older adults do not seem to be related to participants' aging knowledge, with the exception of Chinese and Japanese women. These results are discussed in a global aging context of reducing ageism and the evolving nature of both Eastern Asian and American cultures.

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has considerably heightened health and financial concerns for many individuals. Similar concerns, such as those associated with poverty, impair performance on cognitive control tasks. If ongoing concerns about COVID-19 substantially increase the tendency to mind wander in tasks requiring sustained attention, these worries could degrade performance on a wide range of tasks, leading, for example, to increased traffic accidents, diminished educational achievement, and lower workplace productivity. In two pre-registered experiments, we investigated the degree to which young adults' concerns about COVID-19 correlated with their ability to sustain attention. Experiment 1 tested mainly European participants during an early phase of the pandemic. After completing a survey probing COVID-related concerns, participants engaged in a continuous performance task (CPT) over two, 4-min blocks, during which they responded to city scenes that occurred 90% of the time and withheld responses to mountain scenes that occurred 10% of the time. Despite large and stable individual differences, performance on the scene CPT did not significantly correlate with the severity of COVID-related concerns obtained from the survey. Experiment 2 tested US participants during a later phase of the pandemic. Once again, CPT performance did not significantly correlate with COVID concerns expressed in a pre-task survey. However, participants who had more task-unrelated thoughts performed more poorly on the CPT. These findings suggest that although COVID-19 increased anxiety in a broad swath of society, young adults are able to hold these concerns in a latent format, minimizing their impact on performance in a demanding sustained attention task.

Teachers are faced with fast-paced changes in educational practice and expectations as technology innovation continues over time. This rate of change may contribute to an increase in anxiety that impacts effective technology integration in the classroom. The authors examined peer-reviewed literature from 2008 to 2018 on teacher anxiety from technological change to gain a deeper understanding of the current status and direction of this topic from academic research communities. An in-depth analysis was conducted of 45 articles that focused on these variables in K-12 and higher education teacher populations. Articles were coded for logistical and thematic differences. Four themes emerged: (1) teacher conceptual change; (2) anxiety's connection with other variables found to influence technology adoption; (3) emotion's place within existing theoretical models; and (4) emotion's influence on teacher adaptability.

Extant literature indicates that international graduate students may experience writing anxiety. Using a grounded theory analysis, we sought to understand how Chinese international graduate students (n = 15) experienced writing anxiety in an R1 public university. Findings revealed that writing anxiety among these students was related to (1) their Chinese cultural/educational background, (2) English as a second language, (3) low writing self-efficacy, and (4) fixed mindset (i.e., belief that one's writing aptitude cannot be increased). Chinese students described using different types of self-regulation strategies to alleviate their writing anxiety. Competence-oriented regulation strategies, or a combination of multiple types of strategies, could be effective in managing their writing anxiety and writing processes. However, if students could not manage their anxiety, they procrastinated in their academic writing tasks. When students procrastinated, they were not satisfied with their work and felt poorly about themselves. We discuss several pedagogical implications of the present study and directions for future research.

Introduction: The present study investigated the theoretical Stereotyping Threat-susceptibility groups proposed by Steele (1997) by using a latent class analysis. Method: 413 undergraduate students from the U.S and Colombia, majoring in various Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) and non-STEM disciplines completed a stereotype threat susceptibility measure--the Social Identities and Attitudes Scale, SIAS (Picho & Brown, 2011). Results: For U.S. women in STEM results indicated the presence of three ST susceptibility profiles (i.e., low and high ST susceptibility classes and a disengaged class) and two variations of an un-identified class in the non-STEM sample. High and low susceptibility to ST classes were found for Colombian women in STEM, while the non-STEM sample yielded disengaged and un-identified classes. In both countries, over 70% of the women in STEM were classified as highly susceptible to ST. Discussion: This is the first study investigating latent profiles of susceptibility to ST (SST) so additional replication with samples from different populations is strongly recommended. Extensive investigation into latent profiles of ST susceptibility could provide the insight required to develop differentiated ST reduction strategies for students in STEM and non-STEM fields of study.

Traditionally, the subject of neuroscience has been one of the most difficult courses for medical students in undergraduate medical education. Over the last few decades, a fear of neurology and the neurosciences, termed neurophobia, has presented among medical students around the world. Today, neurophobia has resulted in medical students not learning neurology and neurosciences to a sufficient extent to be able to apply this knowledge to patients presenting with neurologic symptomatology. To address the crisis at hand, medical educators have developed novel learning modalities to fight this chronic disease of medical students. In this brief review, I examine the educational literature regarding the current pandemic of neurophobia as well as analyze published novel educational modalities that may be used to diminish neurophobia among medical students.