Effectiveness of a Mindfulness-Based Group Intervention for Chinese University Students with Sleep Problems

The increasing prevalence of sleep disorders among university students should be taken seriously. Group counseling involving a mindfulness-based strategy may help prevent students from developing insomnia and subsequent mental health disorders. This study aimed to evaluate the ameliorating effects of a mindfulness-based group intervention on sleep problems and emotional symptoms in university students in China. Twenty-one university students (16 females, 22.71 ± 4.28 years) who were not on medication were recruited and assigned to the intervention group based on the criterion of high levels of sleep problems. Additionally, twenty-four university students (19 females, 24.50 ± 0.93 years) were included as a nonrandomized control group. Individuals in the intervention group participated in a two-hour group intervention once a week for eight sessions. All participants completed self-reported questionnaire baseline tests, postintervention tests, and one-month follow-ups on mindfulness, sleep quality, anxiety and depressive symptoms. Repeated-measures ANOVA was performed. The results revealed significant intervention effects, with significant differences observed between the two groups in mindfulness and sleep quality. However, there was no significant effect of the intervention on anxiety and depressive symptoms. This study contributes to a better understanding of the effectiveness of mindfulness-based intervention in addressing sleep problems in university students.

Emotional Intelligence, Emotional Regulation Strategies, and Subjective Well-Being Among University Teachers: A Moderated Mediation Analysis

This study aimed to explore the mediating role of emotional regulation strategies in the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and subjective well-being (SWB) among Chinese university teachers, and evaluate whether effort-reward imbalance moderated the mediating effect of emotional regulation strategies. A total of 308 Chinese university teachers were recruited for this study. The results showed that emotional regulation strategies played a partial mediating role in the relationship between EI and SWB. Moreover, an effort-reward imbalance moderated the relationship between emotional regulation strategies and SWB. For individuals with more balanced perceptions, EI had a significant effect on SWB via cognitive reappraisal, while for individuals with more imbalanced perceptions, EI did not have a significant effect on SWB via cognitive reappraisal. These findings provide a better understanding of the effects of EI and emotional regulation strategies on SWB, which could provide interventions for promoting SWB among teachers.

A Feasibility Study of the WHO Digital Mental Health Intervention Step-by-Step to Address Depression Among Chinese Young Adults

Background: Chinese young adults experience barriers to mental health treatment, including the lack of treatment providers and stigma around treatment seeking. Evidence-based digital mental health interventions are promising and scalable alternatives to face-to-face treatment for this population, but lack rigorous evidence to support scale-up in China.Aim: The study was a feasibility study for a large-scale RCT of Step-by-Step, a behavioral activation-based, mental health intervention to address depression and anxiety symptoms in Chinese young adults. It sought to assess feasibility of recruitment and of delivery of Step-by-Step in a University setting, to assess acceptability of the intervention, and to examine potential effectiveness.Method: An uncontrolled, feasibility trial was conducted to assess the feasibility and acceptability of Chinese Step-by-Step for Chinese University students with elevated depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 scores at or above 10) in Macao, China. Data was collected at two different time points (i.e., baseline and 8-weeks after baseline), administered via questionnaires embedded in an interventional mobile application. Participation rate and dropout rate were measured. Depressive and anxiety symptom severity, well-being, and self-defined stress were assessed. Satisfaction with the program was assessed using qualitative interviews.Results: A total of 173 students were screened, 22.0% (n = 38) were eligible, and 63.2% of them (n = 24) started the intervention. The dropout rate by post-test was 45.8%. Results from completers showed that Step-by-Step was potentially effective in reducing depressive and anxiety symptom severity, and self-defined stress. Students were generally satisfied with the program, but also offered suggestions for continued improvement. Qualitative feedback was reported within the RE-AIM framework, covering recruitment, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance. Amendments to the program were made according to the feedback (e.g., adding notification for new session, modify the time zone).Conclusion: A minimally guided Step-by-Step protocol and the study procedure were successfully pilot tested for use for Chinese University students. The intervention was acceptable and no adverse events were reported. The results support the potential effectiveness and feasibility of a large-scale evaluation of the program.

Exploring Students’ Perceptions and Attitudes towards Genre-based Pedagogy Developed in Persuasive Writing Teaching: The Systemic Functional Linguistics Perspective

Previous studies in genre-based pedagogy mainly concerned with its teaching effects, few studies involved with students’ perceptions and attitudes which is actually playing a role in teaching and learning activities. The present study intends to make some explorations in this aspect. A quasi-experimental study to designed to answer the research question “What are students’ perceptions and attitudes towards the genre-based pedagogy developed in Chinese university students’ persuasive writings?” Thirty-four students participated in the study and a four-point Likert scale questionnaire and an interview were applied to collect the data. After the quantitative and qualitative analysis, the study find that most participants hold positive attitudes towards every item of the questionnaire and think highly of the genre-based teaching pedagogy from the following six aspects: the mastery of textual features, the genre-awareness of persuasion, confidence in writing an effective persuasion, attitudes towards group writing in the teaching instruction, interests in the application of the curriculum cycle to other genres and other program instruction related comments such as being difficult to master certain required language features and following the teaching patterns involved in the textual construction of persuasion. However, the general indication is that the curriculum cycle can help and enhance students’ understandings of each of the textual features of persuasion. Finally, the study provides implications for future teaching: the genre-based approach could be effectively and widely applied in Chinese university students’ genre writing as the apprenticeship involved allows the students to be more creative as their writing skills develop.

Online Teaching during COVID-19 Pandemic: Teachers’ Experiences from a Chinese University

This paper explores the experiences of Chinese university teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a particular emphasis on the teaching and learning methods adopted and the benefits and challenges encountered in the process. It is based on semi-structured interviews with 13 Chinese university teachers selected through purposive sampling. The findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic forced the university and teachers to adopt online teaching and learning without necessary preparations. Most of the teachers had no adequate ICT and pedagogical training to engage in online teaching and learning. The teachers used the little knowledge they had to learn creating videos and managing online classes gradually. In addition to the flexibility benefits, online learning is expected to transform the teaching and learning process in China to become more interactive and student-centered, which would be a significant achievement for teachers who have been practicing traditional teaching methods. This research provides a better understanding of the benefits and challenges of online learning, which could be vital for future adjustments or educational reforms.

The Association of Smartphone Usage Duration with Physical Fitness among Chinese University Students

Background: The use of smartphones has become increasingly prevalent in recent years, especially among the youth. However, smartphone overuse has been reported to be related to several negative mental and physical health outcomes. Although the association between smartphone use and physical fitness has been investigated in several studies, these studies only focused on specific elements of physical fitness, such as grip strength. In addition, evidence on young adults is limited. Thus, this study aimed to examine the association between the duration of smartphone use and physical fitness among Chinese university students. Methods: A total of 11,242 university students volunteered to participate in the study. The duration of smartphone use was assessed using a self-reported questionnaire. Physical fitness tests consisted of a 50-m sprint and vital capacity tests for both sexes, a 1000-m run and pull-up test for male students, and an 800-m run and sit-up test for female students. Results: The duration of smartphone use among the participants was 5.4 h/day for male students and 6.1 h/day for female students on average. After adjusting for confounding factors, in male students, a long duration of smartphone use was significantly associated with a slow 50 m sprint and 1000 m run time, lower pull-up times, and poor vital capacity (p = 0.004, 0.002, 0.002 and 0.040, respectively). In female students, a long duration of smartphone use was associated with a slow 800 m run time (p < 0.001). Conclusion: This study found that longer duration of smartphone use was associated with lower physical fitness among Chinese university students. The duration of smartphone use may be an influencing factor for physical fitness.

Sustaining Faculty Development through Visiting Scholar Programmes: A Transformative Learning Perspective

International academic visits by university faculty members are common around the world. While most researchers approach such an international experience in terms of intercultural communication and acculturation, in this study we view the travel experience as a learning opportunity in light of Mezirow’s transformative learning theory (TLT). Drawing on Singleton’s ‘3H model’ (head-heart-hands), we find that the outcomes of transformative learning (TL) are related to cognitive, affective and behavioral domains, the prevalence of which were then explored among 314 visiting scholars. The results are further interpreted by drawing on key concepts from TLT to better understand the learning process. We conclude that the international experience is beneficial for scholars’ sustainable development, and call for more study abroad opportunities for Chinese university faculty.

The Impact of an Intensive English Reading Course Based on the Production-Oriented Approach on the L2 Motivational Self System Among Chinese University English Majors From a Dynamic Systems Theory Perspective

This article reports on a study that took a Dynamic Systems Theory (DST) perspective to second language (L2) motivational self system (L2MSS). More specifically, it investigated the influence of an Intensive English Reading course based on the Production-Oriented Approach (POA) upon the L2MSS of Chinese university English majorsfrom the DST perspective. To this end, two intact classes composed of 50 students were assigned into experimental group (EG) (N = 23) and control group (CG) (N = 27), who responded to an L2MSS scale before and after the one-semester intervention. Eight and five students were respectively selected using the purposive sampling method from the experimental and control groups for follow-up semi-structured interviews. The quantitative results revealed that the overall and dimensional (Ideal L2 Self and L2 Learning Experience) levels of L2MSS were significantly strengthened over time in the EG while kept stable in the CG. The qualitative results suggested that the enhanced Ideal L2 Self of the participants stemmed from an attractor basin that was deepened by a number of attractors encompassing Output Tasks and Peer Performance. The interview results also showed that the increased L2 Learning Experience of the participants pertained to an attractor basin that was consolidated by an array of attractors containing Output Tasks, Teacher Guidance, Group Discussion, and Peer Assessment. The findings indicated that the attractors at the subjective and social dimensions in the POA-based course collectively worked together to cause changes in L2MSS among the participants. The implications for intervening L2 motivation from a POA approach in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms were discussed.