Front Psychol [JOURNAL]
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200 papers
A pilot study on integrating mindfulness-informed professional development for EFL teachers.
Bektaş OP, Geçikli M
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42369294 · Full text
This pilot mixed-methods case study investigates the mindfulness levels and perceptions of secondary school EFL teachers as the initial phase of a larger intervention project aimed at enhancing teacher wellbeing and prof...
This pilot mixed-methods case study investigates the mindfulness levels and perceptions of secondary school EFL teachers as the initial phase of a larger intervention project aimed at enhancing teacher wellbeing and professional competence. Acknowledging the emotional, cognitive, and relational demands of language teaching, this study assesses teachers' mindfulness skills and examines conditions that influence their openness to and engagement with mindfulness-based practices today. Thirty-one teachers completed two standardized instruments-the Mindfulness in Teaching Scale (MTS) and the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (KIMS)-while eight teachers participated in semi-structured interviews. Quantitative findings showed moderate overall mindfullness, with higher competence in observing and describing and lower performance in acting with awareness and accepting without judgment, while observing emerged as the strongest predictor of overall mindfulness. Qualitative results revealed limited prior knowledge of mindfulness, but generally positive attitudes toward its potential benefits for emotional regulation, stress reduction, and classroom climate. Teachers also identified several barriers to practical implementation, including time constraints, insufficient training, institutional pressures, and possible misconceptions among administrators or parents. Despite these concerns, participants expressed interest in professional development opportunities that provide clear conceptual grounding, practical strategies, and classroom-relevant applications. Taken together, these findings underscore the need for mindfulness-informed professional development that systematically builds mindfulness skills through scaffolded, context-sensitive approaches. The study provides a foundational evidence base for designing a targeted mindfulness-based intervention intended to strengthen EFL teachers' wellbeing, resilience, and pedagogical presence within demanding instructional environments.
Learning ethical sensitivity through authentic legal experience: an educational psychology perspective on court hearing engagement.
Chen X
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42369293 · Full text
This study examines how engagement with an authentic legal setting may activate ethical sensitivity and prompt reflective moral sense-making in professional education. Drawing on experiential learning and stimulus-based...
This study examines how engagement with an authentic legal setting may activate ethical sensitivity and prompt reflective moral sense-making in professional education. Drawing on experiential learning and stimulus-based reflection frameworks, it analyses reflective narratives written by undergraduate accounting students following attendance at a court hearing involving professional misconduct. The findings indicate that the court hearing functioned as a temporally distinctive learning context in which moral responsibility was examined but not yet resolved. Ethical sensitivity was initially activated through affective engagement with the courtroom environment and the defendant's circumstances, prompting reflective sense-making. Empathic perspective-taking emerged as a key psychological mechanism through which empathic engagement supported contextualized ethical judgment, enabling students to balance compassion with professional and legal accountability. In addition, students articulated ethical intent by projecting anticipated responses to future dilemmas, drawing on the court case as a salient moral reference point. Together, the findings highlight how authentic institutional experiences can support learning-related moral development through interconnected affective, cognitive, and future-oriented processes.
Trial history shapes the alerting-congruency interaction in selective attention.
Golden MJ, Hutcheon TG, Gomez-Rivas C … +1 more , Kahan TA
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42369292 · Full text
Cues that alert a person to the presence of an upcoming stimulus increase phasic alertness and speed responses, but these cues can come at a cost where distractors have a greater influence on performance. The interaction...
Cues that alert a person to the presence of an upcoming stimulus increase phasic alertness and speed responses, but these cues can come at a cost where distractors have a greater influence on performance. The interaction between alerting and distractor congruency reveals how transient increases in alertness influence performance. This study investigated whether trial history influences this interaction. We tested whether the interaction between alerting and congruency was moderated by the congruency of the preceding trial or by response repetitions. Using a large online sample ( = 165), participants completed an arrow-flanker task with and without alerting cues along with an Automated Operation Span Task (AOSPAN) to assess working memory capacity (WMC). Results replicated the alerting-congruency interaction, showing that alerting cues amplified distractor interference. The alerting-congruency interaction was not moderated by preceding congruency in either reaction times or accuracy. In contrast, the alerting-congruency interaction was moderated by response repetition in accuracy (but not response time). Working memory capacity was not associated with the alerting-congruency interaction. Together, this pattern is most consistent with the claim that alerting cues boost phasic arousal which amplifies prepotent stimulus-response associations.
Face concerns as identity-based social evaluation: a cultural psychological model of fertility intentions among Chinese women.
Zhu Y, Tian Z
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42369291 · Full text
INTRODUCTION: China's declining fertility rate has raised significant demographic concerns. While prior research has largely emphasized economic and structural determinants, less attention has been paid to culturally emb...
INTRODUCTION: China's declining fertility rate has raised significant demographic concerns. While prior research has largely emphasized economic and structural determinants, less attention has been paid to culturally embedded psychological mechanisms. This study examines how (face concerns) relates to Chinese women's fertility intentions by integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior and Social Identity Theory. METHODS: Survey data were collected from 446 Chinese women of reproductive age. was conceptualized as a multidimensional construct comprising self-, relational-, and societal-oriented dimensions. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized relationships, including mediation and moderation effects. RESULTS: All three dimensions were positively associated with attitudes toward childbearing. Relational- and societal-mianzi were also positively associated with subjective norms, whereas self-mianzi was not. Both attitudes and subjective norms were positively associated with fertility intention, with subjective norms showing a stronger association. Perceived behavioral control significantly moderated these relationships. DISCUSSION: The findings suggest that fertility intentions are shaped not only by structural conditions but also by culturally embedded identity and social evaluation processes. The study highlights the importance of incorporating culturally sensitive psychological mechanisms into fertility research and policy discussions.
The relationship between parental involvement matching and adolescents' internal locus of control: a response surface analysis.
Cui H, Wang Y, Tian Y … +3 more , Zhou Z, Lv Y, Lin X
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42369290 · Full text
This study analyzes the effects of congruence and incongruence in paternal and maternal involvement on adolescents' internal locus of control. A sample of 680 adolescents was assessed using the Parental Involvement Behav...
This study analyzes the effects of congruence and incongruence in paternal and maternal involvement on adolescents' internal locus of control. A sample of 680 adolescents was assessed using the Parental Involvement Behavior Questionnaire and the Internal Locus of Control Scale, and response surface analyses were conducted. Results revealed that: (1) Under conditions of parental involvement congruence, adolescents exhibited significantly higher levels of internal locus of control in low paternal-low maternal involvement dyads compared to high paternal-high maternal involvement dyads. (2) Under conditions of parental involvement incongruence, adolescents demonstrated higher internal locus of control in high paternal-low maternal involvement dyads versus low paternal-high maternal involvement dyads. The findings indicate that dual-high parental involvement is associated with lower internal locus of control compared to low-low involvement, while higher paternal involvement in high paternal-low maternal configurations correlates with higher internal locus of control.
The effectiveness of teaching reading comprehension strategies to higher education students in Chile.
Jonathan Eduardo ME, Carla Elizabeth CS, Sánchez-Cortés MJ
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42369289 · Full text
Abstract loading — click title to view on PubMed.
Scale development and validation of social media mindfulness: evidence from Chinese Douyin users.
Li M, Chen H
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42369288 · Full text
Mindfulness has been widely conceptualized and measured across various fields. With increasing attention to the healthy usage of social media, the present study aims to develop a measurement scale for social media mindfu...
Mindfulness has been widely conceptualized and measured across various fields. With increasing attention to the healthy usage of social media, the present study aims to develop a measurement scale for social media mindfulness, intended to guide users towards purposeful and intentional usage, thereby alleviating the adverse effects on mental health caused by obsessive or addictive use of social media. Two studies, comprising the development of the measurement scale and validation through a nomological network linking social media mindfulness and users' psychological wellbeing, were conducted. Consequently, four factors encompassing 19 measuring items were synthesized which are nonjudgement (6 items), attention-acceptance (6 items), description (4 items) and nonreaction (3 items), respectively. Furthermore, the influence of four subconstructs of social media mindfulness on Douyin users' psychological wellbeing has been further validated to ensure the criterion-related validity of the developed measurement scale. Consequently, all constructs have been examined to be positively related to users' psychological wellbeing. Overall, the developed scale offers foundation for future research concerning mindful social media usage. More importantly, mindfulness-based intervention designed to mitigate the negative effects of social media usage can be constructed based on the scale's dimensions.
Psychological readiness mediates performance transfer in constraints-led, game-based basketball training: evidence from a quasi-experimental study.
Ma C, Liu L, Zhao Y … +2 more , Gu Y, Li Z
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42369287 · Full text
BACKGROUND: Constraints-led, game-based training is increasingly used in basketball, yet the behavioral and psychophysiological mechanisms behind performance improvements remain unclear. METHODS: A quasi-experimental, pr...
BACKGROUND: Constraints-led, game-based training is increasingly used in basketball, yet the behavioral and psychophysiological mechanisms behind performance improvements remain unclear. METHODS: A quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest design involved 48 male collegiate basketball players allocated into a constraints-led experimental group (EXP, = 24) or a technique-then-scrimmage control group (CTRL, = 24). Over 8 weeks, both groups trained 3 × /week with matched intensity (70-85% HR_max, sRPE 6-7). External load (distance, PlayerLoad™, accelerations, jumps), internal/perceptual load (HR, fatigue, enjoyment), and technical-tactical performance (FG%, AST/TO) were evaluated using baseline-adjusted ANCOVA, linear mixed-effects models, and bootstrapped mediation/SEM analyses. RESULTS: EXP showed significantly greater gains in FG% (+ 3.3%, = 0.62) and AST/TO (+ 0.19, = 0.55) versus CTRL (both < 0.01), alongside larger increases in distance (+ 11.4%), PlayerLoad™ (+ 9.6%), and accelerations (+ 13.1%) (all < 0.05). Fatigue decreased while enjoyment increased in EXP, and psychological readiness served as a significant indirect pathway linking load adaptation to performance improvement (indirect effects: β = 0.23-0.41, < 0.05). Multi-group SEM indicated stronger indirect effects among lower-skill players. CONCLUSION: A constraints-led model enhances basketball performance through an efficiency-based adaptation profile in which external-load engagement, affective recovery, and improved decision-making are jointly aligned. These results highlight representational fidelity and psychological engagement as synergistic drivers of training responses.
Digital epistemological beliefs as predictors of academics' digital technology literacy.
Gökçen E, İzci E
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42369286 · Full text
INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between academics' digital epistemological beliefs and their digital technology literacy and to determine the extent to which digital epistemological be...
INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between academics' digital epistemological beliefs and their digital technology literacy and to determine the extent to which digital epistemological beliefs predict digital technology literacy. METHODS: The study was conducted with 673 academics employed at public universities in Türkiye. Data were collected using the Digital Epistemological Belief Scale, the Digital Technology Literacy Scale, and a personal information form developed by the researcher. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, simple linear regression, independent samples t-test, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Prior to the analyses, normality assumptions were tested through arithmetic mean, median, kurtosis, and skewness values. RESULTS: The findings indicated that academics' perceptions of digital epistemological beliefs and digital technology literacy were at a moderate level. No significant differences were found in digital epistemological beliefs, digital technology literacy, or their sub-dimensions according to gender. However, significant differences were identified based on academic title, professional seniority, and academic field. Furthermore, a strong, positive, and statistically significant relationship was found between digital epistemological beliefs and digital technology literacy. The results also demonstrated that digital epistemological beliefs significantly predicted digital technology literacy. DISCUSSION: The findings suggest that stronger digital epistemological beliefs are associated with higher levels of digital technology literacy among academics. The study contributes to the literature by providing a comprehensive examination of the relationship between these two constructs through the use of original, valid, and reliable measurement instruments.
Bridging brain and body: a 3R framework for real-time self-regulation strategies in sport.
Yakushina A, Lakicevic N, Leonov S … +2 more , Vvedenskiy S, Drid P
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42369285 · Full text
Abstract loading — click title to view on PubMed.
Correction: "Please don't expose me": students' perceptions of psychological safety during peer feedback on presentations.
Arafa SM, Ali SI
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42369284 · Full text
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1743621.].
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1743621.].
Future planning for athletes: a social cognitive career theory explanation of student-athletes' self-efficacy and reflection.
Chen HC, Wang HC
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42369283 · Full text
INTRODUCTION: Student-athletes often develop within dual-career contexts in which academic and athletic demands coexist under sustained pressure. Although Social Cognitive Career Theory has been widely used to explain ed...
INTRODUCTION: Student-athletes often develop within dual-career contexts in which academic and athletic demands coexist under sustained pressure. Although Social Cognitive Career Theory has been widely used to explain educational and career development, less is known about how identity-based self-systems are translated into extended future-oriented planning under chronic role overload. The study examined whether general self-efficacy mediates the relationship between student identity and planning horizon, and whether reflected appraisal strengthens this pathway among student-athletes. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey design was adopted. Data were collected from 397 intercollegiate student-athletes in Taiwan. Measures included student identity, general self-efficacy, planning horizon, and reflected appraisal. Gender, age, and years of sport-specific training were treated as control variables. Descriptive statistics and Pearson's correlations were first conducted, and the mediation and moderated mediation analyses were then tested. RESULTS: Student identity was positively associated with general self-efficacy and planning horizon. General self-efficacy was also positively associated with planning horizon. Mediation analysis showed that general self-efficacy mediated the relationship between student identity and planning horizon. In addition, reflected appraisal significantly moderated the relationship between student identity and general self-efficacy, such that the positive association became stronger as reflected appraisal increased. The moderated mediation analysis further indicated that the indirect effect of student identity on planning horizon through general self-efficacy was conditional on reflected appraisal and became stronger at higher levels of reflected appraisal. CONCLUSION: The findings support a Social Cognitive Career Theory-based explanation of student-athletes' future-oriented planning by showing that student identity contributes to planning horizon both directly and indirectly through general self-efficacy, while reflected appraisal functions as an important facilitating condition. The study clarifies how identity-based self-systems are translated into temporally extended goals under dual-career pressure. Practically, the results suggest that support programmes for student-athletes should not only strengthen academic role identification but also cultivate reflected appraisal and efficacy-related coping beliefs to promote more sustainable long-term planning.
Translating policy into practice: teacher agency amid cognitive and ecological constraints in enacting competency-based assessment.
Shi F, Yang Q, Zhang MX … +1 more , Wang XT
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42369282 · Full text
The global shift toward competency-based education places unprecedented demands on frontline teachers to enact dynamic, process-oriented assessments. However, translating these top-down policy mandates into daily practic...
The global shift toward competency-based education places unprecedented demands on frontline teachers to enact dynamic, process-oriented assessments. However, translating these top-down policy mandates into daily practice within resource-constrained classrooms remains a significant challenge. To unpack this implementation gap, this study employed an exploratory, embedded single-case study through a researcher-practitioner partnership (RPP). In a 5th-grade STEM unit, university researchers provided a theoretical assessment scaffold based on the SOLO taxonomy, while the frontline teacher co-designed and enacted the context-specific rubrics, offering a crucial bottom-up reality check. Findings reveal that while these tools successfully made abstract competencies visible and supported responsive instruction, their continuous enactment faced severe real-world constraints. Structurally, immense data-processing demands collided with rigid instructional time, forcing the teacher to engage in rational triage, sacrificing assessment documentation to preserve core teaching. Culturally, the evidence-based system clashed with entrenched grading habits and a traditional culture of correctness, triggering student mistrust of peer evaluation. Our analysis indicates that these implementation gaps are primarily driven not by a deficit in teacher assessment literacy, but by the interplay of severe structural and cultural constraints. Without systemic interventions to alleviate these operational and epistemic burdens, complex assessment innovations will inevitably be reduced to superficial survival checklists. This study thus highlights the indispensable role of boundary-crossing RPPs not as a magic bullet to resolve structural issues, but as a critical reality check that renders the teacher's invisible labor and the severe ecological constraints explicitly visible to policymakers.
The body and the brain keep the score: a data-driven conceptual model linking trauma and postural tachycardia syndrome.
Crouch TB, Chelimsky G, Boylan L … +10 more , Maxwell M, Westcott G, Chase SO, Redman T, Burch J, Gharbo R, Wells M, Redemer W, Kinser P, Chelimsky T
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42369281 · Full text
Postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a common, often disabling disorder of autonomic nervous system regulation without a unifying etiological account. Converging evidence suggests infectious, physical, and emotional t...
Postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a common, often disabling disorder of autonomic nervous system regulation without a unifying etiological account. Converging evidence suggests infectious, physical, and emotional threats frequently precede onset. We propose a hypothesis-generating model in which POTS may, in some individuals, involve threat-induced, centrally maintained disruption of brain-body communication that may be responsive to neuroplasticity-based behavioral medicine. In this paper, we synthesized multidisciplinary literature and our team's data spanning (a) autonomic and central nervous system responses to threat and trauma, (b) neurological alterations associated with early life stress, (c) links between adverse childhood experiences and posttraumatic stress disorder with autonomic symptom burden, and (d) clinical developments targeting the threat system and autonomic regulation. These data suggest that chronic or overwhelming threat exposure is associated with sympathetic activation, reduced vagal tone, and neuroplastic alterations within cortico-limbic and brainstem networks that parallel POTS features (exaggerated tachycardia, autonomic rigidity, multisystem dysregulation). Preliminary data indicate individuals with higher trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms report greater autonomic symptom severity and poorer global health. Emerging imaging suggests a potentially important role for the periaqueductal gray (PAG), a midbrain hub for autonomic, cardiovascular, motor, and pain responses to threat, which may fail to reset after trauma, leaving the ANS in a sustained escape-mode (fight/flight/freeze) that increases POTS risk. Overall, these findings provide preliminary conceptual support for a unified hypothesis linking trauma, PAG-mediated threat responses, and sustained autonomic dysregulation in POTS, underscoring the importance of trauma-informed care. Behavioral interventions that target threat reduction and autonomic regulation such as rate variability biofeedback and neuroplasticity-oriented psychotherapies, may complement standard medical care. Prospective, longitudinal studies are needed to clarify causal pathways and identify responsive subgroups, and randomized clinical trials are required to establish the efficacy of nervous system-focused behavioral interventions.
Adaptation and validation of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) in Polish.
Enko J, Kościelniak M
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42359318 · Full text
INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to adapt the full 45-item, seven-subscale Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) into Polish and evaluate its psychometric properties, including cross-language measurement invariance...
INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to adapt the full 45-item, seven-subscale Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) into Polish and evaluate its psychometric properties, including cross-language measurement invariance in Polish-English bilinguals. METHODS: Two independent online samples were pooled ( = 275), with participants completing the IMI in both Polish and English. Reliability (, ), cross-language correlations, and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA; WLSMV/THETA) were conducted, while language invariance was tested using a CT-C(M-1) framework comparing marker-configural and strict metric models. Convergent and divergent validity were assessed through associations with external constructs related to motivation, control, curiosity, and stress appraisal. RESULTS: CFA supported the expected seven-factor structure in both languages with good model fit, and language invariance analysis indicated minimal configural-metric differences, suggesting approximate measurement invariance. The Polish IMI demonstrated strong internal consistency across all subscales, closely matching the English version, while cross-language correlations confirmed strong subscale-level equivalence, though a small number of items showed weaker psychometric properties. Subscale intercorrelations followed theoretical expectations, supporting construct validity, with subscales reflecting engagement, autonomy, and competence aligning most strongly with positive motivational constructs. Overall, the Polish IMI is suitable for research in Polish, with all materials, data, and analysis code openly available.
Children's continued usage intention in virtual reality-based pottery courses: a study on the collaborative mechanism of cognitive engagement and affective arousal.
Tong C, Que L, Guan H … +1 more , Zhu X
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42359317 · Full text
INTRODUCTION: Sustaining children's engagement in immersive learning environments is a central challenge in educational psychology. Virtual reality (VR) offers multisensory and interactive experiences that can foster cre...
INTRODUCTION: Sustaining children's engagement in immersive learning environments is a central challenge in educational psychology. Virtual reality (VR) offers multisensory and interactive experiences that can foster creativity and skill development. However, the psychological mechanisms that drive sustained participation remain underexplored. This study applied the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework to examine how cognitive engagement (e.g., attention guidance and cognitive load control) and affective arousal (e.g., valence design and arousal intensity) influence children's flow experience, satisfaction, continued engagement, and perceived learning achievement in VR-based pottery education. METHODS: A total of 220 elementary school students (aged 7-12 years) from four Chinese cities participated in a structured VR pottery course. Following the activity, participants completed validated questionnaires measuring the targeted constructs. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling, with bootstrapping employed to assess path significance and model fit indices to evaluate the overall adequacy. RESULTS: Cognitive engagement had a stronger positive impact on flow and satisfaction than affective arousal. Flow was a stronger predictor of continued engagement than satisfaction. Continued engagement significantly predicted perceived learning achievement. The structural model demonstrated acceptable fit (standardized root mean square residual = 0.062), with substantial variance explained in key outcome variables. DISCUSSION: These findings highlight the dominant role of cognitive engagement in fostering sustained participation in VR-based creative learning, with affective arousal providing supplementary enhancement. The results extend the stimulus-organism-response framework to children's art education, offering theoretical insights into cognitive-affective mechanisms and practical guidance for designing psychologically optimized VR learning environments.
Modeling learning engagement in AI-supported education: a crossover enabler-inhibitor framework.
Alwahaishi S, Ahmed W
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42359316 · Full text
Artificial intelligence is reshaping how learners interact with content, feedback, and motivation. Yet the psychological processes that support or disrupt engagement in AI-powered environments remain underexplored. This...
Artificial intelligence is reshaping how learners interact with content, feedback, and motivation. Yet the psychological processes that support or disrupt engagement in AI-powered environments remain underexplored. This study develops a crossover model to explain how enabling beliefs and emotional strain jointly influence learning engagement. Drawing from self-determination, cognitive load, and social cognitive theories, the model tests how performance expectancy and technology self-efficacy function alongside feedback overload and AI learning anxiety. Learning motivation and AI fatigue are positioned as mediators linking these factors to behavioral engagement. Data were collected from 251 learners with experience using AI-driven educational tools. Structural equation modeling revealed that learning motivation is the most powerful predictor of engagement. Performance expectancy increases motivation, while feedback overload weakens it. Technology self-efficacy has no significant effect on either motivation or fatigue. Fatigue, although linked to anxiety and overload, did not directly reduce engagement. These results suggest that motivation, not depletion alone, drives sustained learning behavior. This study contributes by reframing inhibitors as threats to motivation rather than isolated stressors. It offers practical insights for designing AI systems that preserve psychological energy, minimize cognitive strain, and reinforce learning purpose. Engagement is not automatic. It must be carefully engineered within the emotional architecture of intelligent systems. For AI-system designers, this means embedding motivation-aware dashboards, adaptive feedback controls, and anxiety monitoring features to protect and sustain learner engagement.
Psychological mechanisms of AI integration in ESL teaching: teacher self-efficacy and classroom practice in Ghanaian senior high schools.
Ofori HO, Debreli E
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42359315 · Full text
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into language education has gained increasing attention, yet research has predominantly focused on student outcomes, with limited attention to teachers' roles in mediating...
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into language education has gained increasing attention, yet research has predominantly focused on student outcomes, with limited attention to teachers' roles in mediating these technologies. This study investigates the psychological mechanisms underlying ESL teachers' integration of AI tools in reading and writing instruction in Ghanaian senior high schools. Grounded in the Technology Acceptance Model and teacher self-efficacy theory, the study adopts a qualitative research design drawing on semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and stimulated recall interviews. The findings indicate that while teachers generally perceive AI tools as useful and moderately easy to use, these perceptions do not directly translate into pedagogical practice. Instead, teacher self-efficacy emerges as a central psychological mechanism shaping the extent and depth of AI integration in classroom contexts. Teachers with higher confidence demonstrate more structured and pedagogically meaningful use, whereas others rely on limited, surface-level applications. The findings also reveal a persistent gap between positive attitudes and enacted practice, shaped by contextual constraints such as limited infrastructure and time, as well as teachers' capacity to adapt AI tools within instructional processes. The study contributes to AI in education research by emphasizing the role of teacher psychology as a mediating layer between technological potential and instructional adaptation, offering a more nuanced understanding of how AI-supported practices are enacted in resource-constrained educational contexts.
Enhancing physical, technical, tactical, and cognitive performance in female youth football players using eye-tracking and neurofeedback training: an exploratory study.
Carvalho SA, Bezerra P, Teixeira JE … +3 more , Forte P, Silva RM, Cancela-Carral JM
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42359314 · Full text
This study aimed to investigate the effects of an intervention combining eye-tracking and neurofeedback training on technical, tactical, and cognitive performance in young female football players. A cross-sectional study...
This study aimed to investigate the effects of an intervention combining eye-tracking and neurofeedback training on technical, tactical, and cognitive performance in young female football players. A cross-sectional study was conducted with eight female youth football players (15.6 ± 1.2 years) recruited from a FIFA-certified training centre. Anthropometric measures (body mass, standing height, and seated height) were recorded, and biological maturity was assessed using the Mirwald equation. Performance was evaluated using standardized tests: Loughborough Football Shooting Test (LSST) for technical skill, Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1 (YYIR1) for endurance, and a system of tactical assessment in football (FUT-SAT) instrument for motor and tactical proficiency. For clarity, we define the measurement moments used throughout this article: baseline assessments are denoted as moment 1 (M1) and post-intervention assessments after the six-week training period as moment 2 (M2). Eye-tracking metrics, decision-making indexes, and neurofeedback parameters were analysed using i-Brain and i-Tracker technologies. Players showed significant improvements in technical and tactical performance, particularly in shooting velocity and offensive unit efficiency, alongside enhanced decision-making stability and defensive coordination. Eye-tracking metrics revealed increased fixation efficiency and reduced revisit counts, indicating more effective visual search strategies. YYIR1 performance improved, suggesting that the intervention did not impair intermittent recovery capacity. The integration of eye-tracking and neurofeedback training demonstrated potential for enhancing cognitive and technical performance in female youth football players. Improvements in shooting accuracy, decision-making speed, and gaze efficiency suggest that these technologies could be valuable additions to traditional training methods.
Discovering the inner voice: self-awareness among secondary school learners in Limpopo province.
Masutha TC, Mabaso M, Ramalisa R … +1 more , Shirindza KJ
Front Psychol · 2026 · PMID 42359313 · Full text
INTRODUCTION: Adolescent mental health is a worldwide public health issue that encompasses the capacity to manage day-to-day challenges. A person's self-esteem, or how they view themselves, affects their mental health. S...
INTRODUCTION: Adolescent mental health is a worldwide public health issue that encompasses the capacity to manage day-to-day challenges. A person's self-esteem, or how they view themselves, affects their mental health. Self-awareness is a crucial skill that fosters empathy, responsible decision-making, and emotional resilience within the broader Social and Emotional Learning framework. The study aimed to explore how secondary school learners in Limpopo perceive and communicate self-awareness. METHODS: This study employed qualitative participatory action research with an exploratory, descriptive design to examine how learners understood self-awareness, self-esteem, and self-esteem-boosting techniques. Rather than measuring variables, qualitative research focuses on the in-depth exploration of participants' experiences and viewpoints. The study was conducted at Eiland Forever Resort in the Tzaneen area of the Mopani District, Limpopo Province, during the Ubuntu Community Model of Nursing boot camp, hosted by the University of Pretoria in collaboration with the University of Venda and the University of Limpopo for the six selected secondary schools in Vhembe and Mopani Districts. Forty-eight learners were purposively sampled and participated in the study, comprising 24 males and 24 females from grades nine through 11. A reflective writing exercise and group discussion with three structured questions were used to gather data, and the information was recorded with the participants' permission. Braun and Clarke's six-step framework was employed for the thematic analysis, enabling the identification of patterns and the creation of themes and sub-themes. Criteria for trustworthiness and ethical aspects were adhered to throughout the study. RESULTS: Five themes with their sub-themes emerged: exploring learners' understanding of self-awareness; learners' weaknesses; learners' strengths; describing learners' future and career-oriented goals; and methods for addressing learners' weaknesses. Each theme was further supported by several sub-themes that provided deeper insights into the learners' personal and developmental journeys. CONCLUSION: According to the study's findings, learners have a developing yet uneven grasp of self-awareness, which is crucial for determining their academic commitment, personal growth, and future goals. Self-reflection, self-belief, and knowledge of one's emotions and talents are fundamental to how learners perceive their experiences at school and beyond, according to findings on self-awareness. Nevertheless, there are several weaknesses, such as emotional, social, academic, and contextual issues that prevent full engagement and outstanding performance, frequently undermining this understanding.
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