Although Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) attract millions of people to enroll in their courses, the completion rate for most courses is very low. A majority of MOOCs students are not fully engaged in MOOCs, thus leading them to quit in the early stage of the courses. Therefore, it is important to investigate students' engagement in MOOCs.…

Gamification is an increasingly popular form of health intervention but its efficacy remains elusive due to a lack of clarity in its conceptualization and operationalization. This study aimed to isolate and determine the direct causal effect of one of the most popular game elements used in gamified interventions, the points-based reward system, on…

Game jams are accelerated game creation events usually taking place over the course of a short time period. A variety of learning outcomes from game jamming has been discussed in previous research, with learning being a common motivation for attending game jams. Despite this, there has been little research into the psychological mechanisms driving…

Problem. The growing number of students at the university level in Cameroon created maladaptive behaviors including lack of behavior adaptation, interests, respect, happiness, self-esteem, which led to strikes, vandalism, academic failure and resulting in school dropout (Nwaimah, 2008). The Cameroonian government proposed a number of reforms to…

Previous research has successfully used basic psychological need satisfaction and achievement goal approaches for describing the motivations of university faculty for teaching and for explaining differences in faculty experiences, success, and learning. However, the interplay between these motivational constructs has been largely ignored, with…

Self-care is a topic that has gained traction among helping professionals. It is considered a preventive health care measure used to promote physical and mental health as well as personal well-being. In this article, I use a self-care framework created for social workers and adapt it to music educators with the intention of aiding music teachers…

Self-determination theory (SDT) posits that three basic psychological needs (i.e., autonomy, competence, and relatedness) must be fulfilled to promote positive outcomes among individuals participating in social environments. Teachers can provide supports to fulfill these needs within classroom environments to help them become autonomously…

First-generation college students (FGCS) face unique challenges compared to non-first-generation peers. Lack of personal, emotional, financial, or psychological support may create difficulties adapting to college. The focus on affordability in higher education and lowering the cost of a bachelor's degree has also made the transfer process an…

During the spring of 2020, two months into the global COVID-19 pandemic, four leading CBOs in Boston--the YMCA of Greater Boston, Latinos For Education (LFE), Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción (IBA), and The BASE--came together to discuss what they can do to help underserved children in the city experiencing education disruption. In response to the…

Nature has the ability to heal many psychological wounds from anxiety and depression, stress, post traumatic stress disorder, and behavioral concerns. As a result, clinicians are recognizing the power of nature as a tool in the healing process. The purpose of this dissertation, which consists of one completed systematic review and a multiple probe…

This study utilized a convergent-parallel mixed methods design to explore the usefulness of a remote relaxation-based intervention's ability to foster mindfulness and self-determination for stress management by collegiate athletes. Although stress is a common experience related to college retention, collegiate athletes experience additional…

Although physical education (PE) provides a school-based platform for the enhancement of learners' physical health, implementation challenges can have a detrimental effect on learners' motivation to participate in physical activities and their fitness levels. Within the framework of the Self-determination Theory (SDT), meeting learners' basic…

This study examines the direct and indirect relationships between key motivational constructs and science achievement using TIMSS 2019 data sets for Japan, Norway, and the United States. The sample of the study includes 4,446 and 8,698 eighth graders in Japan and the United States, with 4,575 ninth graders in Norway. The structural equation model…

This study investigated the relationship between need for closure and need for cognition and foreign language anxiety and enjoyment. The participants of the study were 232 EFL learners at a university in Iran. Self-report questionnaires on need for closure, need for cognition, foreign language classroom anxiety and foreign language enjoyment were…

In this self-study, I reflect critically on a chain of emotional support linking a preservice philosophy teacher, a pedagogical instructor, a school counselor, and a high school student during the first COVID-19 lockdown. With the help of a critical friend, I focus on my role as the preservice teacher's pedagogical instructor and examine the…