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The metaverse which is considered as the digital big bang of humanity and the next evolution of the internet is anticipated to offer a living environment for civilization 5.0 and beyond in various domains including education. Each novice technology that enters our daily lives generates also fear, anxiety, and problems as well as hope, benefit, and attraction. The purpose of this research is to investigate what ethical problems the metaverse may cause in higher education institutions and how healthy metaverse universities can be created within the framework of ethics. Interpretative phenomenological research design was employed in the study and data was collected from the field experts and lecturers in higher education. The study indicated thirteen VR/AR/XR experts' and lecturers' visions on the metaverse-based ethical issues and practical implications that could be applied within the scope of five thematic nodes comprising metaverse awareness, security and data, safety and wellness, social equality and diversity, and accessibility. It is expected that the study will contribute to the design of a healthy and good metaverse in the future of higher education institutions pursuant to ethical values.

This study examined the dynamic between perceived authoritarian parenting style (PAPS), and subjective wellbeing (SWB) among purposively recruited 423 college students in China. Expectancy value beliefs (EVB), fear of failure (FOF), and competitiveness were taken as mediators. The data were analyzed using Bootstrap method of 5000 sample and 95% confidence interval. The results revealed a significant negative total effect of PAPS on SWB. Additionally, two indirect paths were found to be significant: the mediation of FOF (Path 2) and the serial mediation of FOF and competitiveness (Path 6). These findings suggest that the perception of authoritarian parenting style is a negative predictor of students' happiness, and that FOF and competitiveness played important mediating roles in this relationship. These findings have important implications for educators, parents, and policymakers who aim to promote positive academic and personal outcomes for college students. The results suggest the need for interventions that address the negative impact of PAPS on students' wellbeing, and the importance of fostering positive beliefs about the value of education and academic achievement, as well as reducing FOF and promoting healthy competition.

This collaborative, descriptive research project in urban Texas looked at the at the development, implementation, and student perception of effectiveness of a multi-stage pedagogical intervention in a classroom to help preservice teachers become more confident during discussions of controversial identity issues; specifically, ableism, classism, heterosexism, racism, and sexism. Researchers developed classroom experiences based upon worldview threat and defense as well as mindfulness, using qualitative analytic strategies to "foresee" and "assert" the effectiveness of these experiences via mid- and end-point course evaluation surveys. Participants felt more confident and capable when talking to others with differing worldviews due to the experiences and tools provided.

Knowing the factors affecting fear of large carnivores is important for wildlife management and conservation. In this regard, the effect of worldviews of human-wildlife and human-nature relationships on the fear of large carnivores needs to be investigated in different cultures. In this study, the influence of wildlife value orientations (WVOs), connectedness with nature, religiosity, fear of dogs, and gender on the fear of wolves and wild boars were examined. Quantitative research was conducted via a questionnaire on a convenience sample of 656 university students from state universities in various regions of Turkey. Domination orientation did not influence the fear of either animal. Mutualism negatively influenced the fear of wolves but did not significantly influence the fear of wild boar. Connectedness to nature is related negatively to the fear of both animals. More religious students feared wild boars more. Female students had a greater fear of both animals than male students. In addition, students with a fear of dogs had a greater fear of both animals. The relationship between worldviews and fear of large carnivores can vary across different species and needs to be investigated in different cultures

This phenomenological study explores the experiences of preservice teachers of color in a teacher education program at a predominantly white institution. Participants experienced feelings of isolation, being targeted because of their race, lack of multicultural education in the program, and feelings of tension in wanting to speak out and fearing the consequences of speaking out. Recommendations are given for improving teacher education programs to better meet the needs of preservice teachers of color.

As a social-interactional positive behavior, the flow of compassion (i.e., selfcompassion, compassion for others, and compassion from others), which refers to sensitivity to suffering in self and others with a commitment to try to alleviate and prevent it, has yet to be investigated in a highly social-interactional context such as foreign language learning classrooms. Thus, the present study adopted an ecological perspective within Bronfenbrenner's (1979, 1993) analytic nested ecosystems model to explore how the flow of compassion is rooted in such a context. Sixteen Iranian English as a foreign language learners took part in the current study, and data were collected through semistructured interviews. Employing the framework of the nested ecosystems model, we identified both influential individual and environmental factors underlying the flow of compassion among the participants. The flow of compassion proved to be influenced differently at different ecosystemic levels by individual and environmental factors. At the individual level, negative and positive emotions, fears, non-judgmental attitudes, intimacy, well-being, improvement, motivation, and action were found as influential factors in emerging the flow of compassion. At the contextual level, the identified influential factors included past experiences outside of the classroom, extracurricular activities, institution policy and criteria, cultural and social values, as well as the use of technology and the internet. Limitations and implications of the present study are also discussed.

Recent reform efforts to center issues of equity and social justice in mathematics classrooms have been under fire from the loudest sectors of right-wing media. The hysteria around incorporating social justice issues in mathematics classrooms is captured in the artificial binary: STEM or CRT. In our paper, we examine resistance to reform efforts in mathematics education in artifacts geared towards audiences beyond mathematics education researchers through the lens of whiteness. We analyzed artifacts from the Math Wars of the late 1990's and the current backlash towards mathematics education reform (Math Culture Wars) in California and Florida. We identified fear as a significant mechanism to upholding whiteness in the backlash to mathematics education reforms, particularly centering white fear. By describing how fear is constructed in the artifacts, scholars may find more targeted responses to the backlash by addressing the ideas perpetuated in these artifacts. Still, the field of mathematics education has done little to become more inclusive and just because our agenda is too closely aligned to the status quo, with responses to the backlash being largely absent or tepid. We close with recommendations for action and allyship within the broader field of education to thwart the hysteria against CRT.

This study aims to determine how technophobia, or dread of technology, hinders education and offers future research recommendations. Utilizing systematic reviews, researchers scoured numerous research sources for articles on technophobia in education. The admissions criteria were established, and 18 research works that met those criteria were selected for the study. The results suggest that fear of technology makes it more difficult for people to embrace and utilize it in education, and the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the trend toward online education, bringing new challenges and obstacles. The study suggests additional research into the causes of technophobia, its effects on students, the efficacy of teacher training programs, and the effect of teaching methods on students' dread of technology. Lastly, the study suggests that students, instructors, and education support personnel devise effective strategies to combat technophobia.

The study on "Educators' Academic Insights on Artificial Intelligence -- Challenges and Opportunities" was conducted to gain a deeper understanding of the rapidly evolving phenomenon of AI in education. This research serves multiple objectives. Firstly, it aims to foster awareness regarding the integration of AI into teaching and learning practices by providing clear definitions of AI and explaining key AI-related terms. It also seeks to illustrate AI's diverse applications within a broader context, with a special focus on AI-supported research and learning platforms. Additionally, the study delves into the current discourse surrounding chatbots, contributing to address the central research question. Lastly, this initiative aims to provide valuable recommendations for effectively harnessing AI in education, enhancing the teaching and learning experience. The researchers conducted a review of literature concerning artificial intelligence. They adopted a qualitative method, using open-ended questions to collect feedback from educators globally, including those from the University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Al Musannah, and participants in the online discussion forum at Oxford English Learning Exchange.com. The qualitative data was analysed, leading to the identification of key themes and subthemes derived from the responses of research participants. The study's findings incorporated a wide range of concerns expressed by educators, comprising ten key subthemes. These concerns ranged from doubts about AI's ability to replace human educators and fears of its potential to hinder student development to worries about its hyped popularity and its perceived futuristic nature. Educators stressed the importance of effective AI training while emphasizing the need to prioritize human expertise over excessive reliance on AI. They were also acutely aware of both the advantages and disadvantages of AI, viewing it as both a potential boon and a looming threat. Furthermore, educators recognized the potential for enjoyable experiences with AI and acknowledged the pivotal role of users in determining the extent of AI adoption. Content analysis revealed additional apprehensions, such as concerns about job displacement, AI's impact on critical thinking, teacher frustration in assessing AIassisted student writing, the use of AI-generated content for assessments, potential erosion of human services, stifling of user and learner creativity by AI, the risk of errors in AI-generated information, opportunities for cheating in exams, and concerns about the overreliance on and overrating of AI platforms. Positively, the findings included an array of opportunities that AI platforms offer. Study participants highlighted various aspects of these opportunities that surpassed their concerns and associated risks. The opportunities are categorized into twenty subthemes: enhancing learner motivation, facilitating template creation, utilizing AI as an educational aid, promoting proper training and fostering positive AI usage, harnessing AI for teaching challenging subjects, enabling personalized learning experiences, offering an interactive tutoring experience, supporting remote learning, facilitating self-study, providing comprehensive educational content overviews, giving instantaneous feedback and evaluation, functioning as search engines and chatbots, enabling content validation, efficiency in terms of cost and time, streamlining material preparation, facilitating skill and language enhancement, promoting familiarity with topics and vocabulary, enabling text-to-speech and speech-to-text conversions, editing multimedia elements, and facilitating content generation.

The current study aimed to investigate Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) and Self-Esteem levels among 7th and 10th-grade students in private schools in Amman, Jordan. Additionally, the study aimed to explore the relationship between FoMO and self-esteem. The research also intended to examine differences in FoMO and self-esteem levels between male and female students and across different grade levels. The sample consisted of 590 students randomly selected from private schools in Amman for the academic year 2022/2023. To achieve the study's objectives, the researchers translated and utilized measures of FoMO and self-esteem. They verified the reliability and validity of these measures and administered them to the study sample. The study adopted a descriptive and correlational approach as the most appropriate, aiming to describe the levels of FoMO and self-esteem and reveal potential correlations between the two variables. The results indicated a low level of FoMO among students and a high level of self-esteem. A significant negative correlation was found between FoMO and self-esteem. There were also significant differences in FoMO and self-esteem levels across different grade levels, with 7th grade students scoring higher in all dimensions. However, there were no significant differences in FoMO and self-esteem levels between male and female students, except for the "need for fame" dimension. Statistically significant differences were observed in FoMO levels attributed to grade level, favoring seventh-grade students in all dimensions. No statistically significant differences were found according to gender variables, except in the "need for fame" dimension. Results showed no statistically significant differences in self-esteem related to gender, but there were significant differences in self-esteem related to grade level, favoring tenth-grade students. The mean self-esteem score for tenth-grade students was 3.16, while it was 3.05 for seventh-grade students.

The study aimed to identify the primary obstacles encountered by junior high school students when learning English. Conducted as a cross-sectional survey, data were gathered from 102 9th-grade students in three public schools in Parongpong using a Likert questionnaire and analyzed through mean scores. Findings revealed that the key barriers included students' tendency to use their native language, grammar errors, limited speaking opportunities outside school, fear of making mistakes, and restricted vocabulary. Additionally, challenges arose from listening materials' speed and complexity, unfamiliar topics and words, as well as nervousness. Furthermore, hurdles in reading practice, complex text structures, idea generation, spelling, paragraph organization, grammar, teacher's limited use of learning media, and cognitive attitudes were observed. These findings are expected to aid teaching efforts, particularly in addressing barriers for EFL learners.

This paper presents a review of the literature pertaining to exam anxiety, highlighting findings from empirical studies, theoretical frameworks, and practical strategies. Exam anxiety is a pervasive issue affecting students worldwide, impacting academic performance and psychological well-being. This review explores the causes, manifestations, and consequences of exam anxiety, and evaluates existing interventions. By examining a diverse range of scholarly works, this paper seeks to contribute to a deeper understanding of exam anxiety and offers insights for educators as well as students. The paper also provides a brief list of alternative forms of summative assessment that have the potential to alleviate exam anxiety.

The study aims to assess the role of linguistic and non-linguistic barriers on the English-speaking abilities of Saudi EFL learners. A cross-sectional design was adopted and convenience sampling was employed to recruit the EFL learners in Saudi Universities. An online survey was conducted. Descriptive statistics, ttests, and factor analysis were performed. The results of the study showed that non-linguistic barriers, affecting English-speaking capabilities included fear of making mistakes, shyness, anxiety, confidence, and a lack of interest. Where the most significant factor was confidence in to impact of English speaking. Moreover, among linguistic barriers i.e., grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation, vocabulary was the most significant factor to influence the English-speaking ability of the Saudi EFL students. However, no gender-wise discrepancies were found in experiencing these barriers. The study concluded that there was no significant difference between male and female learners. Both genders faced linguistic and nonlinguistic barriers. However, pronunciation errors, a lack of vocabulary, and poor knowledge about grammatical structure were the linguistic barriers, faced by the students.

The COVID-19 epidemic has impacted higher education institutions across the country by switching traditional teaching practices to online learning. The attitudes of students towards elearning are essential to research in order to determine the extent to which successful implementation of online learning. Thus, this research aims to evaluate the attitudes of Indonesian students towards e-learning throughout the pandemic. The study adopted a quantitative research approach through a survey questionnaire. The attitude of students was evaluated using the attitude scale towards e-learning. The questionnaire comprised 20 items assessing students' attitudes towards remote learning. A questionnaire was distributed to 342 (255 female and 87 male) undergraduate students who took online courses at an Indonesian state university. The statistical analyses including descriptive statistics, t-tests and one-way ANOVA were used in the present study. The results suggested that students' e-learning attitudes tend to be neutral. The ttest and ANOVA indicated that there was no statistically significant gap in students' attitudes with respect to gender, daily internet usage time or level of COVID-19. Meanwhile, age, study year and personal computer ownership exerted a statistically significant impact on e-learning attitudes. Teachers can better prepare for the adoption of online learning during COVID-19 and beyond by using the valuable insights provided by the findings.

Living with a chronic health condition in the home can have a debilitating effect on the psychosocial and psychoaffective wellbeing of the entire family. This is particularly the case for healthy school aged siblings. This research investigated the perceptions and experiences of at-school support for well-siblings to evaluate its effectiveness in mitigating and minimising the at-home illness-related stress effect. Seven siblings (both primary and secondary age) whose brothers had received treatment for a chronic illness (e.g. cancer) were interviewed, as were their mothers, six schoolteachers, and two principals. Responses were analysed thematically, and the findings revealed that the chronic illness of a sibling bears strongly on how well-siblings feel about themselves: their very identity is challenged; and they lose their sense of belonging, worth, and self. Findings identified that inconsistencies in at-school support are linked with a lack of an overarching mandate for support, emphasising the need for urgent remediation in policy development and process reform.

This is a qualitative study that employed exploratory design to inquire from 15 participants of Central University (Ghana) about their experience with the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana. An in-depth interview was conducted, and data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that participants experienced fear expressed in four key domains reported under four key themes thus: Experiencing psychological distress; Burden of economic hardships; Fear of inefficient health system; and Educational disruptions and worries involved in online teaching and learning. The study concludes that the upsurge of COVID-19 has triggered psychological, economic, and educational conundrums that have to be addressed. This paper contributes to the growing body of studies on COVID-19 and effects on lecturers and students. The burgeoning evidence of the mental health distress following COVID-19 should be a wake-up call for universities and Ghana as a whole to invest both in infrastructure and manpower in this area of health care delivery. Vaccine hesitancy research must be conducted to improve upon health educational campaigns. The significant disruption from the pandemic is a fair warning to all stakeholders to make educational e-learning infrastructure resilient against similar future shocks. The implications of the findings for health and educational policies in Ghana are addressed.

Respect for teachers is a globally recognized educational issue. Compared with Western "equality-based" respect, the traditional Confucian "respect for teachers" is a kind of "hierarchical" or "reverential" respect. In the past, respect for teachers was an unquestioned ethical value in Confucian cultural contexts, and was considered beneficial for students. However, respect for teachers has been criticized as a symbol of authority and detrimental to learning and teacher-student relationships nowadays. To resolve the "controversy regarding respect for teachers," we used the conceptual framework of respect for teachers to investigate the predictive effects of respect-for-teachers' dual dimensions on teacher-student relationship and students' academic engagement. In Study 1, a scale for respect-for-teachers was developed. Two factors, reverence for teachers (RFT) and fear of teachers (FOT) were obtained, through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Study 1 (a cross-sectional design) also shows that RFT is positively associated with good teacher-student relationships and students' academic engagement, while FOT is negatively associated these outcomes. Study 2 (a two-wave longitudinal design) reveals that controlling for social desirability, RFT at time 1 has a positive relationship with good teacher-student relationships and academic engagement at time 2, while FOT at time 1 has a negative relationship with good teacher-student relationships and academic engagement at time 2. Overall, this paper provides a solution to the "controversy regarding respect for teachers," that is, whether respect for teachers is beneficial or harmful depends on its dimensions. This paper also contributes to a broader understanding of the concept of "respect" and offers insights into educational issues within East Asia and across different cultures.

Fear of failure undermines students' learning and well-being. However, despite the prevalence of fear of failure, there is a lack of a measurement tool explicitly designed to assess the fear of failure in learning among Chinese students. This study aimed to adapt and validate the Chinese version of the Fear of Failure in Learning Scale (C-FOFLS). Exploratory factor analyses were conducted for the adaptation group (N = 353) and a four-factor solution was found. The construct validity of the four-factor structure was subsequently confirmed by item-level analysis and confirmatory factor analysis for the validation group (N = 366). The final scale was comprised of 22 items and had four underlying dimensions: shame, performance avoidance, learned helplessness, and self-handicapping. Pearson correlation analyses demonstrated satisfactory convergent validity and concurrent validity of the C-FOFLS. C-FOFLS could be a valuable tool for conducting research on the fear of failure in learning of Chinese students.

This study investigates the mediating mechanisms that play a crucial role in the relationship between fear of failure and academic satisfaction and between fear of failure and procrastination. The study sample consists of 292 undergraduate students enrolled in different departments of the university. Within the scope of this study, emotion regulation difficulties may be one of the mediating mechanisms in this reciprocal relationship, the findings provide evidence that procrastination functions as a mediating variable in the relationship between fear of failure, difficulty in emotion regulation, and academic satisfaction while difficulty in emotion regulation acts as a mediator in the relationship between fear of failure and procrastination. Therefore, the findings of this study suggest that interventions aimed at improving the individual's emotion regulation skills may play an important role in overcoming the negative effects associate with the fear of failure on procrastination and academic satisfaction.

Students' mental health quality in schools significantly influences the development and increase of students' research and questioning abilities. Few studies have sought to investigate the role of images and attitudes towards curiosity (CIAC) on elementary student depression and anxiety, and fear of consequences of academic success (FCAS). This study examined the effects of images and attitudes towards curiosity on depression and anxiety, and fear of consequences of academic success in elementary students by mediating the roles of critical thinking (CT). Results from a sample of 450 elementary students in Iran showed that the direct path coefficients of images of and attitudes towards curiosity to fear of consequences of academic success and depression and anxiety were not significant. However, with the inclusion of critical thinking as a mediating variable, the indirect effect coefficient was significant. Additionally, there were positive relationships between images and attitudes towards curiosity and critical thinking.

Given the high prevalence of multiple-choice examinations with formula scoring in medical training, several studies have tried to identify other factors in addition to the degree of knowledge of students which influence their response patterns. This study aims to measure the effect of students' attitude towards risk and ambiguity on their number of correct, wrong, and blank answers. In October 2018, 233 3rd year medical students from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, in Porto, Portugal, completed a questionnaire which assessed the student's attitudes towards risk and ambiguity, and aversion to ambiguity in medicine. Simple and multiple regression models and the respective regression coefficients were used to measure the association between the students' attitudes, and their answers in two examinations that they had taken in June 2018. Having an intermediate level of ambiguity aversion in medicine (as opposed to a very high or low level) was associated with a significant increase in the number of correct answers and decrease in the number of blank answers in the first examination. In the second examination, high levels of ambiguity aversion in medicine were associated with a decrease in the number of wrong answers. Attitude towards risk, tolerance for ambiguity, and gender did not show significant association with the number of correct, wrong, and blank answers for either examination. Students' ambiguity aversion in medicine is correlated with their performance in multiple-choice examinations with negative marking. Therefore, it is suggested the planning and implementation of counselling sessions with medical students regarding the possible impact of ambiguity aversion on their performance in multiple-choice questions with negative marking.

Children and adolescents (henceforth "children") with both attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety experience greater difficulties than children with either alone, though qualitative methodologies are yet to be used to understand the challenges this population experiences. We aimed to explore parent-reported daily impacts of co-occurring anxiety in children with ADHD (ages 8-13 years). Participants were enrolled in an Australian trial evaluating an adapted anxiety intervention and were eligible if their child met diagnostic criteria for ADHD plus separation, social, and/or generalized anxiety disorder. A baseline measure of life impacts associated with child anxiety captured situations parents reported were difficult, due to their child's anxiety. Reflexive thematic analysis of free-text responses (N = 203) facilitated new insights via inductively generating key themes. Three overarching themes highlighted (1) child difficulties with everyday situations and processes due to their anxiety; (2) the nature of the child's anxiety being pervasive and unrelenting; and (3) the strain placed on the child's family system. This study enhances understanding of daily impacts associated with co-occurring anxiety and ADHD and may contribute to an improved understanding of support needs. Results reiterate the need to identify co-occurring difficulties in children with ADHD and support both children and their families.

Background: Both child temperament (specifically high shyness and fear) and environmental stressors like the COVID-19 pandemic are known to confer risk for elevated anxiety symptoms in children. However, few studies have examined the long-term impact of the pandemic on young children's anxiety. Objective: We examined the moderating effects of disruptions experienced during the early months of the pandemic on the longitudinal association between shy and fearful temperament at age 2 pre-pandemic and anxiety symptoms in the year following the start of the pandemic. Methods: Participants were 125 parents of toddlers (M[subscript age] = 26 months, 54% girls, 80% White) who were participating in an ongoing anxiety screening study when the pandemic started in 2020. Shy and fearful temperament were assessed pre-pandemic at age 2 years using the Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire and anxiety symptoms were assessed within the first post-pandemic year (at ages 3 or 4) using the Spence Preschool Anxiety Scale. Parents completed the Epidemic-Pandemic Impacts Inventory at the start of the pandemic to assess types of disruptions experienced. Results: Shyness predicted higher anxiety symptoms among children whose parents experienced more work-related disruptions. Fear was associated with higher anxiety symptoms at lower levels of social activities disruption but was unrelated to anxiety symptoms at high levels of these disruptions. Conclusions: Results suggest that anxious temperament may serve as a meaningful screening target for identifying the children most in need of support during times of major stress.

Background: Fear of missing out (FoMO) and homesickness have been associated with a variety of negative psychosocial outcomes; however, they have rarely been studied together or with adolescents in residential settings. Objective: This study examined the potential associations of FoMO and homesickness with program outcomes in a sample of adolescents attending a military-style residential program. The residential treatment context inherently involves removal and isolation from an individual's typical living arrangements. Methods: Data were collected from 185 participants (aged 16-18) at three time points (i.e., 2 weeks after entry into the 19-week program; 9 weeks into the program; at week 18 of the program). RESULTS: Overall, FoMO and homesickness declined from initial assessment to midway through the program but rebounded just prior to exit from the program. FoMO and homesickness showed no direct correlations with participant outcomes, although both showed patterns of correlation demonstrating poor adjustment (e.g., low emotion regulation, high loneliness). Decreases in FoMO and homesickness during the program were positively correlated with distress tolerance. Conclusions: Given the negative implications of experiencing FoMO and homesickness, adolescents at risk for emotional distress tolerance may need additional support when initiating participation in residential programs.

This paper aims to capture the digital imaginaries of Hungarian schools through the lens of digital utopianism as a theoretical framework. Employing a qualitative research approach and semi-structured interviews, this study contributes to the body of literature concerning organizational and policy-level educational management. It investigates utopian and dystopian visions of digitalized schools within the Hungarian education system, featuring participants comprising school leaders, teachers, and administrative staff drawn from five institutions, offering either general or vocational education, representing diverse ownership structures, including state and religious ownership. The study highlights prominent themes of the imaginaries, such as funding and infrastructure, equity, misuse, and social and pedagogical relations and suggests further research directions and methodologies applicable in this field.

This study examined the links between COVID-19 psychosocial stressors, ethnic discrimination, COVID-19 fears, and their combined effects on mental health outcomes among U.S.-based Latinx college students (N = 148; M[subscript age] = 20.68, SD = 2.53). Findings showed that sleep and eating disturbances, emotional distress, and work disruptions were linked with fear of contamination, fear of social distancing, and fear of pandemic impact. Further, ethnic discrimination was found to uniquely contribute to COVID-19 fears above and beyond COVID-19 psychosocial stressors. Finally, COVID-19 emotional distress and COVID fear of pandemic impact were significantly linked to anxiety and depression symptomatology. Recommendations for practice and future research are provided.

Background: Avoidance of colonoscopy is often associated with fear, embarrassment, and disgust aroused in screening procedures. However, each emotion can be linked to different challenges faced by patients. More research is needed to evaluate and address the causes of these respective emotions. Aim: The purpose of this study was to develop and assess the scales of three negative emotions (i.e., fear, embarrassment, and disgust) caused by specific issues in colonoscopy screening. Method: The measurement items were developed based on multiple common barriers in colonoscopy screening procedures. An online sample of 232 adults aged 45-75 was recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk to test the scales. Explorative and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to validate the measurement models. Results: Psychometric evidence demonstrated the factor structures of three negative emotions. Each emotional factor was caused by unique combinations of barriers in the preparation, screening, and recovery stages of colonoscopy. Most of the emotional factors were associated with attitudes and screening intention. Conclusion: This study showed different dimensions of negative emotions and their underlying causes in colonoscopy. These findings will help assess specific causes of negative emotions in colonoscopy and develop effective interventions to improve screening uptake.

This study examined the causes, consequences, and solutions of English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers' technophobia. To this end, a semi-structured interview was held with 48 Chinese EFL teachers working in different institutes. The results of MAXQDA indicated that technophobia is a multi-face and multi-source phenomenon, which can affect different areas of second language (L2) education. The most frequent causes of technophobia were teachers' "low technological knowledge and skills", "unfamiliarity with technology", and "lack of professional training". It was also found that EFL teachers' technophobia could engender "technology avoidance", "innovative teaching prevention", "inconvenient and outdated teaching", and "emotional distress and burden" on EFL teachers. Furthermore, it was revealed that this aversive emotion could be addressed by "attending professional development courses", "having a positive mentality", and "making psychological preparations". The discussion of the findings and their implications for EFL teachers and educators are presented at the end of the study.

Research consistently documents the negative postsecondary outcomes of autistic individuals. Identifying facilitators and barriers to obtaining and maintaining employment is imperative to improve postsecondary outcomes. Autism diagnosis disclosure at work may serve as a facilitator or barrier to obtaining and maintaining employment, but little is known about the lived experiences of individuals on the spectrum regarding diagnosis disclosure at work. To ascertain why autistic individuals choose to pursue disclosure or choose not to disclose at work, how they disclose, and the consequences of that disclosure, a state-of-the-art literature review was conducted. Ten studies met the final inclusion criteria and were synthesized to provide guidance to autistic individuals, families, and professionals who support autistic individuals' transition to employment.

The COVID-19 pandemic control measures substantially impacted the life of university students in the UK. While multiple studies investigated early stages of the pandemic, focusing on risk factors for depression and anxiety, fewer studies assessed later phases of the pandemic or examined positive protective factors for mental wellbeing. Our longitudinal study investigated changes and associations between COVID-19 experiences, lifestyle behaviours, social connectedness and mental wellbeing in the second year of the pandemic. The validated Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale was used to measure the primary outcome mental wellbeing. Self-reported data from 161 university students (18-35-year-old) in England was obtained. Data collection took place across two time points with contrasting COVID-19 epidemiological and countermeasure attributes. T1 occurred in the spring of 2021, during the tail end of the third national lockdown when indoor household mixing was prohibited and vaccination rates were low among 18-35 year olds. T2 took place 6 months later, in the autumn of 2021, when restrictions had ended and vaccination rates were high. Within-participant changes in students showed that mental wellbeing significantly improved over 6 months, suggesting positive adjustment. Fear of COVID-19 and engagement in COVID-19 protective behaviours significantly decreased as pandemic restrictions eased. Physical activity levels were high and did not change over time, while greenspace visits significantly diminished. Social support remained the same and group membership significantly increased over time. Hierarchal regressions revealed that social support was the most critical contributor to mental wellbeing. We discuss lessons for mental wellbeing promotion strategies: encouraging the use of greenspace as locations for distanced social interaction and physical activity in times of lockdown constraints.

Objective: Children report needle procedures as one of their most feared and painful experiences. Negative blood test experiences can lead to lifelong implications. Xploro is an online health information platform (app) that uses age-appropriate self-directed augmented reality (AR) techniques. This study evaluated the acceptability, feasibility and self-reported impact of Xploro on children undergoing a planned blood test. Method: Children aged 6-14 years accessed Xploro at home before attending hospital for a planned blood test. Paper data collection booklets were completed by children, their parents and health professionals. We explored participants' views of using Xploro and the perceived impact on a child's ability to undergo the blood test. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and content analysis procedures. Results: Notably, 24 children, 24 parents and 6 health professionals participated. Children (96%; n = 23/24) reported that Xploro was 'fun' and 'easy to use' and helped them have their blood test (94%, n = 17/18), as they 'knew what to expect' and what would help them. Parents reported that the app helped 'open up a dialogue about the blood test' with their child and helped their child 'know what would happen during the blood test' and how to 'stay calm'. Health professionals (n = 6) reported that Xploro helped children access information 'at their leisure at home'. Conclusion: Xploro was reported as being a useful and engaging self-directed child-friendly information app for children having a planned blood test which helped children know what was going to happen and improved their experiences of having a blood test.

This article examines how Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' remarks contribute to anti-intellectualism and fuel the pushback against critical race theory (CRT) championed by like-minded conservative Republicans who view its instruction as an affront to society and authentic historical narratives. Dismissing educators and scholars who uphold the teaching of CRT as unpatriotic and denigrating to American society, DeSantis, who has presidential aspirations, has effectively used the issue (along with a number of other matters) to solidify his conservative base fearful of social and hegemonic change. Although CRT is not taught in Florida public schools, similar to other conservative-dominated states which have seized on the teaching of CRT as anathema to their civic principles, DeSantis' thinly veiled attempt to appease right-wing voters is yet another example of Republicans stoking cultural wars designed to energize conservative constituents against what many of them perceive as liberal attacks on their beliefs and values.

This quasi-experimental study aimed to assess the impact of a midwife-led psycho-education intervention on reducing fear of childbirth (FOC) and perceived stress (PS) in pregnant women. The present study involved 96 pregnant women. The intervention group received three 30-45 min telephone sessions using 'BELIEF' (Birth Emotion-Looking to Improve Expectant Fear) psycho-education approach. The outcomes were assessed using questionnaires on childbirth attitudes and PS. Data analysis was performed using Stata version 17. In the intervention group, the mean score for FOC decreased from 39.41 ± 7.02 to 29.91 ± 5.60 (9.5; 24.1%). The mean difference (MD) of 28.22% was statistically significant (adjusted MD: -10.51, 95% CI: -11.60, -9.41, P < 0.001). In the intervention group, mean scores for PS decreased from 22.77 ± 6.94 to 18.23 ± 5.69 (4.54; 19.93%). In the control group, scores increased from 22.68 ± 6.76 to 24.82 ± 6.58 (2.14; 9.43%). The 29.36% MD was statistically significant (aMD: -6.95, 95% CI: -8.73, -5.18, P < 0.001). The findings of this study indicate that the midwife-led psycho-education intervention, utilizing the 'BELIEF' protocol over the telephone, has a significant effect on reducing FOC and PS, as well as increasing the preference for vaginal birth.

Narratives have been widely acknowledged as a powerful persuasion tool in health promotion and education. Recently, great efforts have been devoted to identifying message components and causal pathways that maximize a narrative's persuasion power. Specifically, we investigated how narrator point of view and readers' subjective relative risk moderate the effects of protagonist competence on intentions to adopt osteoporosis-prevention behaviors, and proposed identification with the protagonist, self-referencing, and fear arousal as three mediators explaining the effect. Women aged 35 to 55, still young enough to reduce osteoporosis risk, read a narrative in which the 60-year-old female character reflects on either taking actions to prevent osteoporosis (competent protagonist) or failing to do so, resulting in osteoporosis (incompetent protagonist) (N = 563). The narratives were told from either the first- or third-person point of view. We found that women who perceived themselves to be at lower risk for developing osteoporosis relative to their peers identified more with the competent protagonist. For women at higher perceived risk, the competent and incompetent protagonists elicited similar levels of identification. Identification was higher when the protagonist's story was told from the first-person perspective, but only for the incompetent protagonist narrative. Identification, self-referencing, and fear arousal played important mediating roles. Implications for theory development and practice are examined.

Stage fright is a natural and very common phenomenon that affects everyone who must present themselves in public. However, it has a negative impact on the health and voice emission of children and adolescents, which is why it is important to study and measure it. Unfortunately, there are no appropriate tools for examining public presentation anxiety intended for children and adolescents, and that would also include the context of voice production. The main aim of this study was to describe stage fright and to present the stages of creating a tool based on the three-factor theory of stage fright constructs. The text describes the steps of developing the questionnaire, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, reliability, and convergent and discriminant validity. The results of the conducted analyses confirmed the three-factor structure of the tool and suggest that the Stage Fright Scale--Children & Youth is a reliable and consistent questionnaire for measuring stage fright in children and adolescents.

Following public outcry surrounding George Floyd's murder in 2020, President Blakeley Alexander of Small Midwestern College established the institution's first diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) committee. After nearly a year, the two cochairs and eight committee members found themselves split into opposing factions amid the remote work challenges of COVID-19. The committee reached a tipping point when one of the two committee cochairs - also the Vice President (VP) of student services - inadvertently sent an email to the DEI committee, resulting in broken trust and demoralized spirits. Significant intervention is now required to right the ship, create an environment of trust, and move the committee forward.

This case centers on two early career educators: a principal and teacher struggling to address issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) in their school in the current political context of legislative attacks on critical race theory (CRT) and the simultaneous national Black Lives Matter movement. A talented teacher is reluctantly self-silencing out of fear and uncertainty when her students ask her questions related to DEIJ topics. Tired of feeling anxious and compromising her teaching, she seeks the advice of her principal. The case asks readers to consider implications for school leaders, teachers, students, parents, and teacher educators.

Extant research has consistently demonstrated that both irrational and rational beliefs contribute to the occurrence and persistence of procrastination. Most of these studies have focused on the role of general irrational and rational beliefs, without addressing domain-specific beliefs that may influence academic procrastination. This cross-sectional study aims to fill that gap by investigating the relationship between irrational/rational academic beliefs, fear of failure, and academic procrastination in a sample of undergraduate students (N = 354). The current findings suggest that irrational academic beliefs are indirectly associated with academic procrastination through fear of failure. Furthermore, the positive relationship between irrational academic beliefs and academic procrastination via fear of failure differs based on the level of rational academic beliefs. These findings suggest that interventions designed to improve domain-specific rational academic beliefs and reduce fear of failure may help prevent or reduce academic procrastination, especially among undergraduates with high levels of irrational beliefs.

The successful treatment of test anxiety treatment requires an understanding of the unique barriers and challenges faced by test-anxious students. Therefore, the current study utilized a combination of person-centered and qualitative methods to investigate the existence of unique subpopulations or subtypes of test-anxious students within Turkish and United States student samples. University students (N = 422) completed measures of cognitive test anxiety, self-efficacy, academic buoyancy, failure appraisal, academic self-handicapping, and goal commitment. Participants also completed open-ended questions assessing facilitators and inhibitors of academic success. The results of a multigroup latent profile analysis identified four learner subtypes in both the Turkish and United States samples. However, our analyses revealed structural differences in latent profiles identified in two cultural contexts. Furthermore, the qualitative results emphasized the importance of self-regulated learning, buoyancy, goal commitment, and self-actualization to academic success. Our discussion emphasizes the importance of considering learners' unique characteristics when designing educational supports.

Although many teachers hold generally positive views of using disability literature with children to support the development of more inclusive communities and schools (Beneke & Cheatham, 2020), little is known about how teachers work with families and address concerns families may have about using such literature. What follows are three primary concerns that have been expressed by families to their children's teachers about using disability literature in early childhood and early elementary classrooms. Salient research evidence to support teachers' use of disability literature is provided along with recommended proactive strategies to support communication, collaboration, and mutual knowledge sharing between families and teachers.

This glimpse into sex education in the Los Angeles region illustrates the eugenic ideas about racially "fit" reproduction that emerged in family life curricula during the Second World War. Ideas about eugenic reproduction in public schools responded to broader cultural fears about increasing divorce rates, criminality, immigration, and birthright citizenship. Eugenics in sex and family life education, importantly, portrayed a woman's choice of mate as a civic responsibility, a move that paved the way for future conflicts about teaching gender and sexuality in public school sex education. Amid a half-century-long conflict over abstinence-only versus comprehensive sex education in public schools, topics like genetics and heredity have come to be widely accepted by both sides - recognized as a presumably value-neutral staple of sex education in US public schools. Yet recent innovations in genetic and reproductive technologies, as well as the conflict over trans and queer youth in the United States, challenge the assumption that teaching genetics and heredity in public schools really is "value neutral."

While negative associations between behavioral inhibition/shyness and social competence are well established for children from Western cultures, the directions of these associations have been inconsistent for Chinese children, partly due to the ongoing social-cultural changes in China. Drawing from three samples of young Chinese children (born between 2009 and 2019), we aim at examining how inhibition/shyness predicts cooperative behaviors and prosocial behaviors throughout early childhood. In Study 1 (N = 700, children aged between 36 and 72 months), mother-reported inhibition/shyness was negatively associated with mother-reported cooperative and prosocial behaviors during the preschool years. In Study 2 (N = 251, at 6, 15, 25, and 37 months of children's ages), mother-reported inhibition/shyness in infancy was negatively associated with mother-reported cooperative behaviors but was not related to observed cooperative behaviors at the early preschool age. Infancy inhibition/shyness was negatively associated with mother-reported and observed prosocial behaviors. In Study 3 (N = 95, at 14, 25, 38, and 60 months of children's ages), the inhibition/shyness trait, assessed by both observation and maternal report, did not predict any indicators of cooperative behaviors. Early childhood inhibition/shyness, however, still predicted fewer observed and mother-reported prosocial behaviors. On balance, our research supports a negative association between early inhibition/shyness and later prosocial behaviors. The mixed findings concerning cooperative behaviors are interpreted in light of sociopolitical changes in China during the past two decades.

The secure base phenomenon was ascribed to changes in exploration observed during Ainsworth's Strange Situation Procedure (SSP), related to the quality of the attachment relationship. However, infant temperament was not taken into consideration. The current study aims to replicate Ainsworth's findings regarding infant exploration and attachment quality during the SSP and extend the findings by examining the role of infant temperament. One hundred thirty-two mother-infant dyads participated in the SSP when infants were 12 months old. Video recordings were coded for attachment quality and for duration of locomotion, duration of engagement with toys, and quality of engagement with toys. Temperamental activity level and fear were assessed with the Infant Behavior Questionnaire. Results showed that--irrespective of infant temperament--infants with insecure-resistant attachment relationships engaged less with toys compared to infants with secure or insecure avoidant relationships, and these differences were amplified during separation from the mother. Duration of engagement with toys was thus a robust indicator of attachment-related infant exploratory behavior. Duration of locomotion increased in response to separation from the mother and decreased after reunion. This likely reflects a mix of exploratory and proximity seeking behavior, and was more affected by controlling for temperamental fear. For quality of engagement with toys, no associations with attachment and temperament were found. During the SSP, the manifestation of the secure base phenomenon depended on the combination of the type of exploratory behaviors and the quality of the attachment relationship, but also on infant temperament.

This study sought to examine whether mumbling might, for some youths, arise among traumatic sequelae. College students provided retrospective reports of mumbling and completed standardized measures of trauma history and posttraumatic distress (Brief Trauma Questionnaire, Beck Anxiety Inventory for Primary Care, Toronto Alexithymia Scale, and the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale). Mumbling was associated with a higher likelihood of sexual abuse but not other forms of trauma. Several measures of distress were significantly elevated for those who reported mumbling (Fear of Negative Evaluation, Difficulty Identifying Feelings, Difficulty Describing Feelings, and Anxiety--with the first two accounting for significant specific variance). Findings suggest that mumbling in young people could be a sign that encourages screening for sexual trauma and distress.

The present research emphasizes the role of learning in response changes to infection threats and suggests a new instrument. This preliminary study aims to develop a brief tool (SITS: Sensitivity to Infection Threats Scale) that measures individuals' health sensitivity to infection threats. The present research utilized the Brief Symptom Inventory-phobic anxiety and hostility subscales and the newly developed SITS. The reliability and validity of SITS were examined through construct, divergent, and convergent validity as well as internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The underlying dimensions were explored through an exploratory factor analysis (EFA N = 142; Mage = 20.29, SDage = 2.34), and the EFA dimensions were confirmed through a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA N = 236; Mage = 20.36, SDage = 2.24). The EFA and CFA results supported a correlated four-factor model and the 20-item structure of the SITS. These four factors included Preoccupied, Avoidant, Physiological, and Cautionary Sensitivities. The overall scale and subscales had good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and convergent and divergent validity. The SITS is a reliable scale and has the potential to deepen our understanding of human behaviour in responding to infection threats.

With the increase in smartphone use, smartphone addiction has gained immense popularity and there has been a lot of research into smartphone addiction. Nonetheless, research examining the complex relationships between cyberloafing and smartphone addiction is still insufficient. Thus, the present study aims to establish the mediating role of fear of missing out, which is a cognitive and emotional process, in the effect of university students' level of cyberloafing upon their smartphone addiction level. The study group of the research is represented by 338 students receiving formation training in the faculty of education, at a state university. For the purpose of data collection, the Smartphone Addiction Scale - Short version, the Cyberloafing Scale, and the Fear of Missing Out Scale were used. The model was tested using structural equation modeling and bootstrapping. Structural equation modeling results provide evidence of indirect effects of cyberloafing on smartphone addiction partial mediated by fear of missing out. According to the Bootstrapping method, fear of missing out has an indirectly significant role in the relationship between cyberloafing and smartphone addiction. The findings emphasized the role of fear of missing out in explaining the relationship between cyberloafing and smartphone addiction. The study concludes by discussing relevant conclusions in the literature, and putting forth several recommendations based on these conclusions.

Decentralized from decision-making processes, women have been placed at the periphery. Their silencing has been fundamental and intentional on the part of patriarchal institutions, for the sake of keeping them behind the discursive scene. To this effect, this paper examines the rebirth of women from prior states whereby they used to be denied the right to sprout the wings towards language within a 'logocentric' society. A deep dive into Helen Cixous's "The Laugh of the Medusa" provides grassroots for allowing a woman to transform silence into articulation. The poetry of Anne Sexton is a case study to witness the drastic change from a crippling fear of speaking into an audacity of a number of speakers in "Lullaby", "Music Swims Back to Me" and "The Exorcists" to acquire language with which every female orator will be equipped to conquer the masculinist world without anxiety.