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Author(s): Rocco Servidio [sup.1] , Mark D. Griffiths [sup.2] , Santo Di Nuovo [sup.3] , Maria Sinatra [sup.4] , Lucia Monacis [sup.5] Author Affiliations: (1) https://ror.org/02rc97e94, grid.7778.f, 0000 0004 1937 [...], Problematic smartphone use (PSU) is an emerging public and social issue, potentially connected to the significant increase in smartphone applications. Different scales have been designed and developed to identify the risk of smartphone addiction, and the 10-item Smartphone Addiction Scale - Short Version (SAS-SV) is one of the most used instruments to assess the risk of PSU. The main objective of the present study was to provide further psychometric properties of the Italian version of the SAS-SV. The study was conducted with a convenience sample of 858 Italian university students. Parallel and confirmatory factor analyses were performed to confirm if the one-factor structure fitted the data well. In addition, because previous studies have emphasised gender and age differences in the SAS-SV, measurement invariance was also tested. Network analysis, predictive validity, and convergent validity were also explored. The parallel analysis results suggested removing Item 3 (feeling pain) because its factor loading was low, resulting in a nine-item SAS-SV. The measurement invariance showed that the SAS-SV performed similarly for gender and age. However, partial scalar invariance across gender and age was observed. Furthermore, gender differences indicated that more females than males scored higher on SAS-SV. No significant age differences were found. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve results indicated a cut-off of 29 points as the best for the SAS-SV (AUC = 0.85). Moreover, among males, the cut-off was 25 (AUC = 0.84), and among females, the cut-off was 30 (AUC = 0.84). The SAS-SV showed a strong association with problematic social media use (PSMU) and other variables related to smartphone use (e.g., time spent on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp). Overall, the present study results indicate that the nine-item SAS-SV appears to be a valid and reliable instrument to assess PSU risk among Italian university students.

This research examined which teachers' cognitive and motivational factors, i.e., constructivist beliefs, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, perceived ease of use and behavioral intention, fostered an effective and satisfactory integration of technology into educational practices. 374 Italian teachers (M[subscript Age] = 38.69, SD = 5.30; F = 198) attending a training course in ICT were divided into two groups: the first with less than 20 years of teaching experience, the second with more than 21 years. Participants completed a battery of questionnaires that comprised a socio-anagraphic section, the Teacher's Beliefs Scale-Constructivist Teaching, the Intrinsic Motivation-Computer Enjoyment Scale, the Extrinsic Motivation-Perceived Usefulness, the Perceived Ease of Use Scale, the Behavioural Intention to Use Computer Scale, the ICT Class Use Scale. Descriptive and causal analyses (correlation and stepwise regression) were applied to the data. Results showed differences between the groups in the scores of Perceived usefulness and Behavioral intention to use computer. Bivariate associations with Classroom use of technology were strong and positive. Moreover, teachers' Beliefs were strongly related to all motivational factors. Model 5 of regression analysis explained 46.9% of the variance in ICT Class use and indicated the highest value of Perceived enjoyment, thus highlighting the teachers' hedonic-oriented motivation.

This study assesses the efficacy of e-learning content that has been adapted to cognitive styles in a sample of older adults. Since the personalisation of learning content has been generally associated with learning processes, it was hypothesised that intrinsic motivation, metacognition and self-regulated learning and learning strategies would interact in affecting learning outcomes. A sample of 106 older adults attending the University of the Third Age was divided into two groups on the basis of the learning approach (face-to-face vs. online). Participants were asked to fill out questionnaires that assessed cognitive styles, learning processes and learning outcomes. A factorial ANOVA and path analysis were used. Findings confirmed the efficacy of adapting e-learning content to older adults' cognitive styles, as well as the role played by intrinsic motivation, metacognition and self-regulated learning, and learning strategies in determining learning outcomes. Consequently, this research supports the benefits of e-learning environments in facilitating learning processes and in encouraging older adults to engage in learning activities.

The study aimed to analyze the influence of such factors, as cognitive engagement, learning strategies and social support on academic success and student satisfaction in online learning environments. Data were collected in a cross-sectional survey carried out in the Winter semester of 2023. Participants were 523 students recruited from universities located in Southern Italy, where the synchronous online learning modality was adopted. The questionnaires included self-reported measures assessing student satisfaction and academic achievement, social support (teacher and peer presence), and deep and shallow cognitive engagement, in an effort to collect data regarding the dynamics of online learning experiences with respect to the three interdependent presences of teaching, cognitive and social, as put forth by the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework (Garrison et al., 2001). Descriptive analysis, bivariate associations, and regression analyses were applied to the data. Data showed different patterns of relationships between academic success and predictors. Deep cognitive engagement was positively associated with academic achievement but unrelated to satisfaction, whereas no significant associations emerged between shallow cognitive engagement, academic achievement, and satisfaction. Furthermore, social presence was found to be unrelated to students’ satisfaction, deep cognitive engagement, or shallow cognitive engagement. The findings of the current study provide professionals in the field of education with suggestions for synchronous online-based teaching about ways to plan a community learning space where teacher-student interactions as well as peer interactions are fostered. This more collaborative-constructivist perspective could improve students’ academic achievements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The Cognitive Style Indicator (CoSI) includes 3 cognitive dimensions: creating (flexible, open-ended and inventive), knowing (emphasizing facts, details, objectivity, and rationality), and planning (guided by preferences for certainty and well-structured information). The first aim of this research was to validate the 3-factor structure of the CoSI within the Italian context. The second was to verify whether cognitive styles, as measured by the CoSI, accounted for individual differences in decision-making processes. Two studies were conducted using 2 different samples (n = 549 and n = 397). Confirmatory and multigroup factor analysis corroborated the 3-factor model and the measurement invariance of the instrument across genders. Reliability indices showed good internal consistency, as well as good levels of convergent and discriminant construct validity. Results from structural equation model revealed that cognitive styles, as measured by the CoSI, predicted individual differences in intuitive and deliberative decision-making processes. Findings gave evidence for the validity of the Italian version of the CoSI and for the causal relationship between cognitive styles and decision-making processes. Further research is needed to explore a more comprehensive model that includes, for example, personality.

The COVID-19 pandemic drastically affected many areas and contexts of today's society, including school and family. Several studies focused on the worldwide effects of school closures on students' learning outcomes, context, and well-being. However, the data emerging from these studies are often inconsistent and fragmentary, highlighting the need of a comprehensive analysis of the phenomenon. This need is especially urgent for the countries with the most severe school closure, like Italy. This systematic review aims to collect the opinions of parents, teachers, and students on: other dimensions of Italian primary school students affected by school closures, beyond academic performance; hypothetical agreement between the opinions of parents, teachers, and students regarding the different effects of school closures on Italian primary school students; possible differences between the effects of school closures on Italian primary school students and the students in other countries. Our search was conducted using PRISMA 2020 guidelines on Web of Science, Pubmed, Scopus, and EBSCOHost. The results obtained from 34 articles revealed a strong concern on the part of all stakeholders involved in learning during the pandemic, with evident negative effects for Italian school students. The constraint on distance learning led to a drastic change in everyone's routine, and a negative emotional change on the part of young students. Parents and teachers generally considered distance learning to be ineffective for the education of their children and students; they encountered technical-practical difficulties in the use of electronic devices for participation in school activities; overall learning deficits on the part of students, especially in mathematics, as confirmed by INVALSI results were also found. The investigation reveals a condition of shared emotional and academic performance difficulty, and a further challenging circumstance for students previously at risk of marginalization. Further research in this field is paramount to identify new and adequate recovery strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The study explored associations between personality traits, perceived stress and symptoms of depression in oncological patients characterized by the two variants of the serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR) polymorphisms. Method: The sample was composed of 41 gynecological cancer patients who completed self-reported questionnaires including the NEO Five-Factor Inventory, the dimension of depression-dejection (D/D) of the Profile of Moods State and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The polymerase chain reaction was also employed to identify genotypes in the serotonin (5HTT) polymorphism. Results: The one-way ANOVA test, across the 5-HTTLPR genotype groups, showed significant effects of the short variants on neuroticism (p=0.009) and of the long variant on agreeableness (p=0.022), as well as a tendency to a statistical significance of the l/l variant on consciousness (p=0.074). Bivariate correlations showed positive correlations of neuroticism with both psychopathological symptoms (D/D r=0.522; PSS r=0.586) in the combined group S, negative association of agreeableness with depression (D/D r=-0.613) and of consciousness with depression (D/D r=- 0.750) and perceived stress (PSS r=-0.702) in the group of the long variant of 5-HTTLPR genotype. Conclusions: Personalized medicine should consider the interaction between genotype and phenotype in reducing levels of clinical psychological distress, highlighting how psychotherapeutic processes should improve patients' quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]