The effects of multitasking on metacognitive monitoring in primary and secondary school students

The lifestyles change of children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic due to antipandemic measures can affect their sleep health. Existing studies have used convenient samples and focused on the initial months of the pandemic, leaving a knowledge gap on changes in young people's sleep patterns under the "new normal" under COVID-19. As part of a territory-wide epidemiological study in Hong Kong, this cross-sectional study recruited primary and secondary school students by stratified random sampling. Sleep parameters were collected using the structured diagnostic interview for sleep patterns and disorders. We investigated the pandemic's effects on sleep parameters by comparing data of participants recruited pre-COVID and those recruited during COVID using multivariate regression, adjusting for age, sex, household income, seasonality, and presence of mental disorders, and the moderators and mediators of the effects. Between September 1, 2019 and June 2, 2021, 791 primary and 442 secondary school students were recruited and analyzed. Primary school and secondary school participants assessed before COVID had a longer sleep latency on school days (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.0-5.2 minutes, adjusted P-value = .010; and 95% CI= 3.9-13.0 minutes, adjusted P-value = .004, respectively) and nonschool days (95% CI = 1.7-7.2 minutes, adjusted P-value = .005; 95% CI = 3.4-13.7 minutes, adjusted P-value = .014, respectively). Low household income was a moderator for later bedtime (adjusted P-value = .032) and later sleep onset (adjusted P-value = .043) during nonschool days among secondary school students. Changes associated with COVID have a widespread and enduring effect on the sleep health of school-aged students in Hong Kong. Household income plays a role in adolescent sleep health resilience, and the impact of antiepidemic measures on the health gaps of the youth should be considered. Chau SWH, Hussain S, Chan SSM, etal. A comparison of sleep-wake patterns among school-age children and adolescents in Hong Kong before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Clin Sleep Med. 2023;19(4):749-757.

Individuals often use external aids to assist with information storage, a process known as cognitive offloading. Prior research has indicated that adults sometimes fail to utilize internal and external cognitive resources judiciously, resulting in cognitive offloading bias, which is often linked to metacognition. However, it remains experimentally unverified whether primary and secondary school students exhibit cognitive offloading bias and how this relates to metacognition. This study aimed to address these gaps. In Experiment 1, we examined cognitive offloading bias in primary and secondary school students (aged 7-15 years) using a word-pair memory task. The results revealed that primary school students tended to rely excessively on internal memory in comparison to the optimal strategy, while secondary school students leaned towards an overreliance on external reminders. In Experiment 2, we incorporated metacognitive judgements to explore the relationship between metacognition and cognitive offloading bias. Results indicated that the cognitive offloading bias observed in primary school students was linked to the accuracy of their metacognitive monitoring.

Background. Motor fitness helps students develop academically and socially. The students are more engaged in fitness activities with classmates of similar skills. Therefore, motor fitness programs should address kids’ capacity to increase physical activity. Objectives. The study aimed to ascertain variations in upper primary and secondary school male students with respect to selected motor fitness components, i.e. strength (standing broad jump), speed (50-meter sprint) and endurance (800-meter run). Materials and methods. A total of 150 male students, aged 12 to 16, from five schools in Delhi, India, participated in this study. The students were divided into five groups, each consisting of 30 students from both private and government schools. The study assessed three motor fitness components: strength (measured by the standing broad jump), speed (measured by a 50-meter sprint), and cardiovascular endurance (measured by an 800-meter run). The one-way ANOVA was used to identify significant differences among the groups, with post hoc LSD tests performed for pairwise comparisons. A significance level of p < 0.05 was applied to all analyses. Results. The analysis revealed statistically significant differences among the groups in all three motor fitness components: speed (F(4,145) = 27.07, p < 0.05), strength (F(4,145) = 16.93, p < 0.05), and cardiovascular endurance (F(4,145) = 75.46, p < 0.05). Post hoc analysis using the LSD test further indicated that students in each group differed significantly in strength, speed, and cardiovascular endurance when compared to one another. Conclusions. The study concludes that male students in grades nine and ten demonstrate significantly higher levels of strength, speed, and cardiovascular endurance compared to students in grades six, seven, and eight. Therefore, motor fitness programs targeting these components should be tailored differently for upper primary and secondary school students to address their distinct developmental needs.

BackgroundComputer‐based scaffolding has been intensively used to facilitate students' self‐regulated learning (SRL). However, most previous studies investigated how computer‐based scaffoldings affected the cognitive aspect of SRL, such as knowledge gains and understanding levels. In contrast, more evidence is needed to examine the effects of scaffolding on the metacognitive dimension and efficiency outcome of SRL.ObjectivesThis study aims to examine the role of computer‐based scaffolding in students' metacognitive monitoring and problem‐solving efficiency.MethodsSeventy‐two medical students completed two clinical reasoning tasks in BioWorld, an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) designed for promoting medical students' diagnostic expertise. During solving the tasks, students were asked to report their confidence judgements about proposed diagnoses. Computer trace data were used to identify task completion time (CT) and students' use of three scaffolding types, that is, conceptual, strategic, and metacognitive. Then we calculated students' metacognitive monitoring accuracy (i.e., calibration) and problem‐solving efficiency.Results and ConclusionsOne‐sample t‐test demonstrated that students inaccurately monitored their learning processes and were overconfident in both tasks. Linear mixed‐effects models (LMMs) indicated that the intensive use of metacognitive scaffolding positively predicted students' metacognitive monitoring accuracy. Moreover, strategic scaffolding was negatively related to problem‐solving efficiency, whereas metacognitive scaffolding positively influenced problem‐solving efficiency.TakeawaysThis study shows the importance of metacognitive scaffolding in improving the accuracy of metacognitive monitoring and problem‐solving efficiency. Findings from this study provide new insights for instructors and ITS developers to optimise the design of scaffoldings.

The study examines metacognitive monitoring accuracy of the learning activity of university students in terms of managing emotions skills. The current results continue to expand an investigation of metacognitive monitoring accuracy factors in university students. The main instruments used in the study were the “MSCEIT V 2.0” test and the “EmIn” questionnaire aiming to find out the relationships between the levels of emotional intelligence such as managing emotions skills and metacognitive monitoring accuracy rates. Metacognitive monitoring accuracy was defined as the difference coefficient between subjective assessment of the accuracy of performing (metacognitive judgements rates) and test results. We took into account such profiles of metacognitive activity as: profiles of “MMA+ +” and “MMA− −” rates that denote accurate metacognitive monitoring and profiles of “INK− +” and “IK+ −” rates that denote inaccurate metacognitive monitoring. The results indicate the significance of the empirically established correlations of the medium and high levels between the variables of managing emotions skills according to the “MSCEIT V 2.0” test and metacognitive monitoring accuracy rates in JOLs and RCJs. At the trend level, the students with medium levels of managing emotions skills (“MSCEIT V 2.0”) are more accurate in their judgments, while the students with very high, high, medium, and partially very low levels of managing emotions skills (“EmIn”) are more accurate in their metacognitive judgments. Thus, the results of the analysis found in the study can play an important role in the process of understanding the relationship between metacognitive monitoring accuracy and the learning activities in university students in terms of managing emotions skills. A promising direction of research of emotional intelligence of students is the study of the influence of using emotions to facilitate thought skills on metacognitive monitoring accuracy of the learning activities in university students.

The study aimed to explore the attitudes of upper primary and secondary school students toward writing and how these attitudes relate to their engagement with written assignments, as perceived by their teachers in Jordan. Utilizing a descriptive and correlational approach, the research sample included 144 randomly chosen Arabic language teachers from Amman's Directorate of Education of the University Brigade. Data was collected through a questionnaire. Findings revealed a statistically significant positive correlation between students' attitudes towards writing and their engagement with written tasks. Students' attitudes were generally average, with variations based on gender (favouring females), school stage (favouring upper primary, secondary, and upper secondary levels), school type (favouring government schools), and years of experience (favouring those with 11-15 years). There were no significant differences in overall writing practices by sex, scientific qualification, or school stage. However, practices varied with years of experience (favouring those with 1-5 years) and did not favour government schools.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence, related factors, and multimorbidity patterns of common diseases among primary and secondary school students in Hunan Province, providing a scientific basis for developing targeted interventions. Methods: From September to November 2023, a stratified random cluster sampling method was employed to select 255 107 children and adolescents aged 7-18 years in Hunan Province for physical examinations and questionnaire surveys. Data on height, weight, surveillance of common diseases (including the five common diseases of overweight/obesity, myopia, elevated blood pressure, dental caries, and spinal curvature abnor malities), as well as dietary behaviours, physical activity, and health-related behaviors were collected. Multimorbidity was defined as having ≥2 of the above common diseases concurrently. Inter-group comparisons were conducted using Chi-square tests, while ArcGIS software was used to map the spatial distribution and to perform spatial autocorrelation analysis of the multimorbidity detection rates of common diseases. The log-binomial model was used to analyze factors associated with multiple common diseases, and association rules based on the Apriori algorithm were applied to identify the multimorbidity patterns of common diseases in primary and secondary school students. Results: The overall prevalence of common disease multimorbidities among primary and secondary school students in Hunan Province was 47.23%. The prevalence was highest among high school students (62.30%), followed by middle school (51.08%) and primary school students (38.21%). The prevalence was lower in boys (45.44%) than in girls (49.18%) and higher among urban students (50.77%) than among suburban and rural students (45.33%) (all P<0.001). Multimorbidity prevalence increased with age, rising from 27.88% at age 7 to 60.12% at age 18 (P for trend <0.001). Spatial analysis revealed that the top three being Changsha (55.43%), Yiyang (50.77%), and Yueyang (50.20%), and the lowest being Xiangtan (41.57%). school stage, gender, urban/rural status physical activity, sleep duration, and screen time were identified as significant factors associated with common disease multimorbidities. The patterns with the top three support degrees were "overweight/obesity → myopia", "myopia → overweight/obesity", and "elevated blood pressure → myopia". Multimorbidity patterns demonstrating both high confidence and elevation degrees included "spinal curvature abnormalities → myopia", along with the association rules "myopia + elevated blood pressure → overweight/obesity" and "elevated blood pressure → overweight/obesity". Conclusions: Common disease multimorbidities are prevalent among primary and secondary school students in Hunan Province, with an increasing trend as age advances. school stage, gender, urban/rural status physical activity, sleep duration, and screen time are key associated factors. Myopia, elevated blood pressure, and overweight/obesity constitute the primary multimorbidity patterns. Early intervention and comprehensive prevention strategies targeting these factors are urgently needed to reduce disease burden and promote adolescent health.

To get a better knowledge of the current situation of screen time among primary and secondary school students in all provinces of China from 2016 to 2017. Data was from the China National Nutrition and Health Surveillance of Children and Lactating Women(2016-2017).275 monitoring points were selected from 31 provinces of China by multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling. A total of 280 primary and secondary school students from 2 primary schools, 2 junior middle schools and 1 senior high school were randomly selected from each monitoring point to complete the survey.73629 primary and secondary school students(except grade 9 and grade 12) were included in this study. From 2016 to 2017, the average daily screen time of Chinese primary and secondary school students was(1.65±1.54) hours, M(P25, P75) was 1.29(0.58, 2.21) h. In terms of provinces, the average daily electronic screen time of primary and secondary school students in Beijing, Tianjin, Jilin, Fujian, Guangdong and Hainan is more than 2 hours. In terms of rural and urban areas, the screen time of students in Beijing&apos;s rural and urban areas, Tianjin&apos;s rural areas, Hebei&apos;s urban areas, Liaoning&apos;s rural areas, Jilin&apos;s rural areas, Fujian&apos;s urban areas, Guangdong&apos;s urban areas, Guangxi&apos;s urban areas, Hainan&apos;s rural and urban areas, and Xinjiang&apos;s urban areas all exceeds 2 hours/day. Besides, screen times of rural primary and secondary school students in Beijing(Z=2.62, P&lt;0.01), Tianjin(Z=5.94, P&lt;0.01), Liaoning(Z=11.56, P&lt;0.01), Jilin(Z=-7.59, P&lt;0.01), Shanghai(Z=3.19, P&lt;0.01), Jiangsu(Z=12.00, P&lt;0.01), Zhejiang(Z=-4.80, P&lt;0.01), Anhui(Z=-4.67, P&lt;0.01), Jiangxi(Z=-3.29, P=0.01), and Sichuan(Z=-4.53, P&lt;0.01) are longer than that of urban students. There are urban-rural differences in the average daily electronic screen time and different types of electronic screen time of primary and secondary school students in China&apos;s provinces from 2016 to 2017.

Self-regulated learning theory acknowledges the importance of an individual's metacognitive monitoring and group-level regulation for learning achievement in collaborative learning. However, very few studies have empirically investigated the interplay of these factors. This study aimed to investigate how groups' metacognitive interactions, group-level regulation, and individuals' metacognitive monitoring accuracy together predict students' learning achievement. Thirty groups of secondary school students (n = 94) attended a five-week physics course involving four 90-min lessons. Each lesson included a collaborative learning session in which the students solved physics problems in groups of three. After each session, the students filled out a quiz that evaluated their learning of the core concepts related to each lesson. The students' collaborative learning was video-recorded using 360-degree cameras. First, the groups' metacognitive interaction, co-regulation (CoRL), and socially shared regulation (SSRL) during collaborative learning were coded from the video data. Second, the students' metacognitive monitoring accuracy was determined in relation to quizzes presented at the end of each collaborative session. Each student's learning achievement was assessed at the end of the course with an individual written exam. Bayesian multilevel models were used to analyze the nested data. The results showed that the frequency of metacognitive interaction was positively related to learning achievement. However, the relation between CoRL and learning achievement was moderated by monitoring accuracy and metacognitive interaction. The relation between CoRL and achievement was positive when coupled with a high frequency of metacognitive interactions but negative under a low frequency of metacognitive interactions. In addition, in line with theory, the students with lower monitoring accuracy achieved higher learning when CoRL was frequent in a group. Due to the low occurrence of SSRL, its relation with learning achievement could not be analyzed. No reliable evidence for the relation between monitoring accuracy and learning achievement was found. The results highlighted the complex interplay of individual-and group-level factors related to collaborative learning outcomes.

To analyze and describe the status and characteristics of using electronic screens of primary and middle school students in China from 2016 to 2017. From 2016 to 2017, 275 monitoring points were selected from 31 provinces in China, and 280 primary and middle school students were selected from each monitoring point to complete the survey. Using the suggestion from "Healthy China Initiative(2019-2030)"of which the screen time of primary and middle school students should be less than one hour per day as the standard. A total of 74 314 primary and secondary school students(except grade 9 and grade 12) were included in this study. Among them, there were 37 147 boys(50.0%) and 37 167 girls(50.0%); 44 612 pupils(60.0%), 14 858 junior school students(20.0%), and 14 844 senior high school students(20.0%); 38 995(52.5%) rural students and 35 319(47.5%) urban students; 53 287 boarding students(71.7%) and 20 537 day students(27.6%). From 2016 to 2017, the average daily screen time of Chinese primary school students was 1.45 hours, M(P25, P75) was 1.14(0.57, 1.93) h. That of junior high school students was 1.92 hours, M(P25, P75) was 1.43(0.71, 2.48) h. That of senior high school students was 2.37 hours, M(P25, P75) was 1.71(0.90, 3.02) h. The average daily screen time qualified rates of primary school, junior high and senior high school students were 46.1%, 37.1% and 27.7%, respectively. From 2016 to 2017, the most used electronic screen products of primary school students in China were TV/videos(62%), followed by mobile phones(21%). Junior high school students spent 38% and 37% of the total time watching TV/videos and playing mobile phones, respectively. High school students spend the longest time using mobile phones(49%) of the total time, followed by watching TV/videos(26%). With the increasing of grade, screen time became longer, and screen time qualified rate dropped. Moreover, the most used electronic screens were mobile phones and TV/videos.

This study’s primary aim is to validate a research instrument in Iraqi Kurdistan middle and secondary schools to explore learners’ perspectives concerning social constructivist learning environments and e-learning outcomes. The research instrument was updated and devised based on Aldridge, Fraser, Taylor, and Chen's (Aldridge et al., International Journal of Science Education 22:37–55, 2000) Constructivist Learning Environment (CLES) Survey. Additionally, it also contains two newly developed rating scales that have been taken from Luckay and Laugksch (Luckay and Laugksch, Research in Science Education 45:1–22, 2015), and a perceived e-learning outcomes scale adopted from Sultan, Woods, and Koo (Sultan et al., Educational Technology and Society 14:149–163, 2011). The instrument included seven prominent social constructivist learning dimensions and plus perceived e-learning outcomes, namely: Respect for Difference, Learner Investigation, Critical Voice, Learner Negotiation, Individual Relevance, Shared Control, Uncertainty and Perceived e-Learning Outcomes. For this study, empirical data were gathered from 1289 upper primary and secondary school students in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. The research instrument possessed factor structure, discriminant validity, and internal consistency reliability based on the results of data analysis. Consequently, the validity and reliability of Arabic language and Kurdish language versions of the survey were verified. Hence, the principal data are sufficient for additional empirical research involving path model evaluation in order to discern any correlations between the variables included in the research model.

Cyberbullying is a relatively new and serious form of bullying with negative social and emotional effects on both victims and perpetrators. Like traditional bullying, cyberbullying is a social phenomenon and often unfolds in the context of a large network of bystanders. This study examined gender and age of cyberbullying bystanders out of 2109 upper primary and secondary school students in Australia. The actions the bystanders took when a peer was cybervictimised were analysed. The results of the study suggested bystanders to cyberbullying were most likely not to do anything or help the person cyberbullied at the time. Girls were more prosocial in helping students who were cyberbullied than boys. In addition, those students who knew someone who was bullied in both ways were more likely to tell their parents and friends about it than those who knew someone who was cyberbullied only. Implications for prevention and intervention in cyberbullying are discussed.

Cyberbullying is a relatively new and serious form of bullying with negative social and emotional effects on both victims and perpetrators. Like traditional bullying, cyberbullying is a social phenomenon and often unfolds in the context of a large network of bystanders. This study examined gender and age of cyberbullying bystanders out of 2109 upper primary and secondary school students in Australia. The actions the bystanders took when a peer was cybervictimised were analysed. The results of the study suggested bystanders to cyberbullying were most likely not to do anything or help the person cyberbullied at the time. Girls were more prosocial in helping students who were cyberbullied than boys. In addition, those students who knew someone who was bullied in both ways were more likely to tell their parents and friends about it than those who knew someone who was cyberbullied only. Implications for prevention and intervention in cyberbullying are discussed.

To explore the relationship between screen time, sugar-sweetened beverage(SSB) intake and different types of obesity(obesity defined by body mass index(BMI), abdominal obesity and high BMI combined with high waist circumference(WC)). Relying on the 2023 Surveillance and Intervention Project for Common Disease and Health Risk Factors among Students in Jiangsu Province, stratified random cluster sampling method was used to select a total of 142 113 primary and secondary school students from 13 cities in Jiangsu Province. Students&apos; height, weight, and WC were collected through physical examinations. In accordance with the requirements of Screening for Overweight and Obesity in School-Age Children and Adolescents(WS/T 586-2018) and High Waist Circumference Screening Threshold among Children and Adolescents Aged 7-18 Years(WS/T 611-2018), different types of obesity were determined based on the above-mentioned indicators. General demographic information of students(including gender, school stage, place of residence, etc. ) and behavioral lifestyle information(including screen time, SSB intake, etc. ) were collected via questionnaires. Binary Logistic regression was used to analyze the association between screen time and SSB intake and different types of obesity in primary and secondary school students. In 2023, among primary and secondary school students in Jiangsu Province, boys accounted for 52.1%(n=74 053) and girls accounted for 47.9%(n=68 060); primary school students accounted for 33.5%(n=47 568), junior high school students accounted for 33.3%(n=47 408), and senior high school students accounted for 33.2%(n=47 137); students in urban areas accounted for 55.8%(n=79 293) and students in suburban and county areas accounted for 44.2%(n=62 820). The detection rate of obesity defined by BMI, abdominal obesity and high BMI combined with high WC among primary and secondary school students in Jiangsu Province was 19.6%(n=27 859), 30.2%(n=42 865), and 18.1%(n=25 707), respectively. Screen time of ≥2 h/d is associated with an increased risk of obesity defined by BMI(OR=1.14, 95% CI 1.10-1.18), abdominal obesity(OR=1.09, 95% CI 1.06-1.12), and high BMI combined with high WC(OR=1.15, 95% CI 1.11-1.20) among primary and secondary school students. SSB intake ≥ 1 time/d is associated with an increased risk of obesity defined by BMI(OR=1.10, 95% CI 1.05-1.15), abdominal obesity(OR=1.10, 95% CI 1.05-1.14), and high BMI combined with high WC(OR=1.12, 95% CI 1.07-1.18) among primary and secondary school students. Compared with the control group(screen time&lt;2 h/d + SSB intake&lt;1 time/d), students in Group 1(screen time ≥2 h/d + SSB intake&lt;1 time/d), Group 2(screen time&lt;2 h/d + SSB intake ≥ 1 time/d), and Group 3(screen time ≥ 2 h/d + SSB intake ≥ 1 time/d) all had an increased risk of different types of obesity. Specifically: Group 1: For obesity defined by BMI(OR=1.13, 95% CI 1.09-1.18), abdominal obesity(OR=1.08, 95% CI 1.04-1.11), and high BMI combined with high WC(OR=1.14, 95% CI 1.10-1.19). Group 2: For obesity defined by BMI(OR=1.08, 95% CI 1.02-1.14), abdominal obesity(OR=1.07, 95% CI 1.02-1.12), and high BMI combined with high WC(OR=1.10, 95% CI 1.03-1.16). Group 3: For obesity defined by BMI(OR=1.23, 95% CI 1.15-1.33), abdominal obesity(OR=1.21, 95% CI 1.14-1.29), and high BMI combined with high WC(OR=1.27, 95% CI 1.18-1.37). Daily screen time ≥ 2 h and daily SSB intake ≥ 1 time among primary and secondary school students are risk factors for obesity defined by BMI, abdominal obesity, and high BMI combined with high WC, whether acting alone or together.

To analyze the influencing factors of health-related behaviors for schistosomiasis prevention and control among primary and secondary school students in Sichuan Province using a multilevel and multivariate logistic model, so as to provide the theoretical evidence for developing the schistosomiasis prevention and control strategy among primary and secondary school students in Sichuan Province. A multi-stage sampling was conducted among 63 schistosomiasis-endemic counties (districts) in Sichuan Province. Five endemic townships were sampled from each county (district), and 100 Grade 4 to 6 students in each primary school and 100 Grade 1 to 3 students in each secondary school were sampled from each township as the study subjects. The health-related behaviors for schistosomiasis prevention and control were investigated using a questionnaire survey, and factors affecting infested water contact behaviors were identified using univariate and multilevel logistic analyses. Among the 62 200 questionnaires distributed, there were 59 134 recovered, and 56 510 were qualified. The qualified 56 510 respondents included 22 955 secondary school students and 33 555 primary school students, and 28 297 male students and 28 213 females. A higher proportion of infested water contacts was seen in male students than in females (P < 0.001), and the students living in heavily endemic areas had a higher proportion of infested water contacts than those in mildly endemic areas (P < 0.001). In addition, there was no significant difference in the proportion of infested water contacts between primary and secondary school students (P >0.05). Multilevel and multivariate logistic analyses revealed a lower proportion of infested water contacts with the increase of knowledge, belief and self-efficacy levels (P < 0.001), and there was a cluster of infested water contacts among students at a county scale (P < 0.001). There is a cluster of infested-water contact behaviors among primary and secondary school students at a county scale in Sichuan Province. Individual and environmental factors should be considered during the formulation of health education strategy and interventions for schistosomiasis among primary and secondary school students.