Meaning in challenging times: Sense of meaning supports wellbeing despite pandemic stresses.

The COVID-19 pandemic created stress and trauma for many individuals. Traumatic experiences often trigger reflection on meaning in life, with subsequent growth or despair. This study evaluates the role of meaning in life in buffering stressors in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the negative effects of COVID-19 stressors (self-perceived stress, emotional state, and cognitive adaptation to stress in the pandemic) are influenced by meaning in life in the context of the early stages of the pandemic. Further, this study described differences in meaning in life observed across demographic groups. Web-based surveys were completed by 831 Slovenian participants in April of 2020. Demographic data; perceptions of stressors related to lacking necessities, movement restrictions, and concerns at home; meaning in life; perceived overall health status; anxiety; emotional state; and perceived stress were measured. A moderately strong sense of meaning in life (M = 5.0, SD = 0.74, range 1-7) was reported by participants, and meaning in life was associated with enhanced wellbeing (B = 0.06-.28, p < .01). Both direct and indirect relationships were observed between stressors and wellbeing outcomes. The indirect effects of meaning in life were especially prominent in the relationship between stressors related to lacking necessities and concerns at home and outcomes of anxiety, perceived stress, and negative emotions, contributing 13-27% of the total observed effects. Increased meaning in life was observed across older age groups (F(5, 825) = 4.8, p < .001) and for those in partnered relationships (t(829) = -3.397, p <.001). A strong sense of meaning in life was associated with improved well-being, even for individuals who experienced pandemic-related stressors. Public health initiatives and media may help improve resilience to pandemic trauma by emphasizing the collective meaning in challenging situations.

Influence of letter shape on readers' emotional experience, reading fluency, and text comprehension and memorisation

Introduction The amount of educational material delivered to pupils and students through digital screens is increasing. This method of delivering educational materials has become even more prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic. To be as effective as possible, educational material must be properly designed not only in terms of content, but also in terms of form, e.g., the typeface. The present study investigated the effect of letter shape on readers' feelings of pleasantness during reading, reading fluency, and text comprehension and memorisation. Methods To find out whether age influences the effects of typeface shape on reading measures, we divided the participants into a group of less experienced readers (children) and more experienced readers (adults). Both groups read texts in eight different typefaces: four of them were round or in rounded shape, and four were angular or in pointed shape. With an eye-tracker, the reading speed and the number of regressive saccades were recorded as measures of reading fluency and changes in pupil size as an indicator of emotional response. After reading each text, the participants rated the pleasantness of the typeface, and their comprehension and memorisation of texts were checked by asking two questions about the text content. Results We found that compared to angular letters or letters in pointed shape, round letters or letters in round shape created more pleasant feelings for readers and lead to a faster reading speed. Children, as expected, read more slowly due to less reading experiences, but, interestingly, had a similar number of regressive saccades and did not comprehend or remember the text worse than university students. Discussion We concluded that softer typefaces of rounder shapes should be used in educational materials, as they make the reading process easier and thus support the learning process better for both younger and adult readers. The results of our study also showed that a comparison of findings of different studies may depend on the differences among the used letter shapes.

Influence of letter shape on readers' emotional experience, reading fluency, and text comprehension and memorisation.

Introduction: The amount of educational material delivered to pupils and students through digital screens is increasing. This method of delivering educational materials has become even more prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic. To be as effective as possible, educational material must be properly designed not only in terms of content, but also in terms of form, e.g., the typeface. The present study investigated the effect of letter shape on readers' feelings of pleasantness during reading, reading fluency, and text comprehension and memorisation. Methods: To find out whether age influences the effects of typeface shape on reading measures, we divided the participants into a group of less experienced readers (children) and more experienced readers (adults). Both groups read texts in eight different typefaces: four of them were round or in rounded shape, and four were angular or in pointed shape. With an eye-tracker, the reading speed and the number of regressive saccades were recorded as measures of reading fluency and changes in pupil size as an indicator of emotional response. After reading each text, the participants rated the pleasantness of the typeface, and their comprehension and memorisation of texts were checked by asking two questions about the text content. Results: We found that compared to angular letters or letters in pointed shape, round letters or letters in round shape created more pleasant feelings for readers and lead to a faster reading speed. Children, as expected, read more slowly due to less reading experiences, but, interestingly, had a similar number of regressive saccades and did not comprehend or remember the text worse than university students. Discussion: We concluded that softer typefaces of rounder shapes should be used in educational materials, as they make the reading process easier and thus support the learning process better for both younger and adult readers. The results of our study also showed that a comparison of findings of different studies may depend on the differences among the used letter shapes.

What Can Off- and Online Measures Tell about Students’ Self-Regulation and Their Achievement While Learning Science Expository Hypertext

Self-regulated learning (SRL) plays an important role in successful learning with hypertexts. The use of appropriate SRL strategies helps students acquire new knowledge more efficiently. We investigated the use of SRL strategies in individual learning from expository science hypertext, the correlations between different measures of self-regulation, and the differences in SRL between more and less successful students. A sample of 443 ninth graders from 15 different schools participated in the study. A variety of off- and online measures were used to measure SRL. Data were collected from student traces, questionnaires, tests scores, and notes. Low correlations between the off- and online measures of SRL suggest that they measure different aspects of SRL use in learning digital science texts. Student achievement in science positively correlated with their use of SRL strategies. Students with higher knowledge gains reported the higher use of deep cognitive strategies, higher motivation for learning, and used a higher number of strategies in note-taking while learning. The results of this study may have practical implications for teachers to support student SRL and for developers of digital learning materials to incorporate SRL scaffolding into learning topics.

Slovenian Validation of the Children's Perceived Use of Self-Regulated Learning Inventory.

The importance of self-regulated learning (SRL) has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and measures for assessing students' self-regulation skills and knowledge are greatly needed. We present the results of the first thorough adaptation of the Children's Perceived use of Self-Regulated Learning Inventory (CP-SRLI). The inventory, consisting of 15 scales measuring nine components of SRL, was administered to a sample of 541 Slovenian ninth graders. Confirmatory factor analyses supported internal structure validity of most components, but two components required some structural modifications. Internal consistency coefficients were acceptable for the majority of scale scores and were highly comparable to the original ones. While metric invariance across gender was confirmed, the scalar invariance of some scales needs further examination. Meaningful correlations with relevant externally assessed and self-reported self-regulation and school performance variables indicated good criterion validity of the inventory. The Slovenian version of the CP-SRLI thus proved to be a sufficiently valid and reliable instrument for assessing pupils' learning self-regulation.

Effects of COVID-19 on cognition of older African Americans

Background The Covid-19 pandemic, with its diverse effects (e.g., on quality of life, health and illness, physical and psychological well-being, social and economic life), has also been suggested to effect cognitive functioning. To better understand the possible effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, we examined cognitive functioning of older African Americans. Method Study included 164 community-dwelling older African Americans (mean age= 75.6, range=64-94) recruited from the Wayne State Institute of Gerontology Healthier Black Elders Center and general Detroit area. Responses were gathered over the phone between 7/28/2020 to 1/14/2021. Change in cognitive functioning was evaluated with the newly developed Cognitive Change Questionnaire (CCQ) in which participants self-evaluated their cognition related to daily activities (e.g., memorizing, paying attention, task switching) on a 5-point scale (1?Much easier, 3?No difference, to 5?Much harder), comparing it to the pre-pandemic time. In addition, all participants received the TICSm phone-based cognitive screen. Responses to COVID-19 were measured on these scales: positive emotions (e.g., gratitude, happiness), negative emotion (e.g., anger, fear), unmet needs (e.g., food, medical care), and personal issues (e.g., economic problems, reduced privacy). Result Findings showed that 106 (65%) participants did not report any COVID-19 related cognitive changes, 7 (4%) indicated improved cognitive functioning, and 50 (31%) indicated that their cognitive functioning was worse as compared to pre-COVID-19 times. Average CCQ scale score (range 8-40) was 26.86. CCQ scale showed good psychometric properties (Cronbach alpha=.84). Significant correlations were obtained between CCQ and TICSm subscales: r=?.16 (p=.05) with total score, r=?.19 (p=.01) with immediate recall, and r=?.24 (p=.002) with delayed recall. Stepwise regression analysis showed that COVID-19 related responses explained 24% of variability on CCQ: participants reported greater cognitive decline if they expressed greater level of negative emotions (21% explained variance) and higher anxiety (3% explained variance). Conclusion These results demonstrate that a sizeable percentage of older community-dwelling African Americans do self-report cognitive decline following COVID-19, associated with increased presence of negative emotions and anxiety. The possibility of altered cognitive function should be considered not only for quality-of-care issues, but also when recruiting for research trials during and after the pandemic.

Some Predictors of Perceived Support and Proximity in Students during COVID-19 Distance Learning

The results of the rare studies on the psychosocial aspects of distance education in the first wave of the epidemic showed the negative consequences of such education on various aspects of psychological well-being and mental health among primary, secondary school and university students. Significant deterioration in psychosocial well-being was also found in studies of university students, who reported increased stress, anxiety, feelings of loneliness, and depression as a result of reduced social networks, lack of interactions, and less emotional support from peers and friends (Elmer et al., 2020;Eving et al., 2021). Studies show a positive relationship between teacher support and learning skills (Patrick et al., 2007), intrinsic motivation (Ryan et al., 1994), and, by encouraging student involvement, student achievement (Klem & Connell, 2004). In distance education, students are required to regulate their own learning and maintain motivation to achieve learning objectives, which they are often unable to do (Fryer & Bovee, 2016). [...]in order to achieve the learning objectives, the teacher's support is needed more than in regular classes in school.

The Relationship Between Perceived Stress and Subjective Cognitive Decline During the COVID-19 Epidemic.

During the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, fear of disease and its consequences, recommended lifestyle changes, and severe restrictions set by governments acted as stressors and affected people's mood, emotions, mental health, and wellbeing. Many studies conducted during this crisis focused on affective and physiological responses to stress, but few studies examined how the crisis affected cognition. The present cross-sectional study examined the relationship between physiological, affective, and cognitive responses to the epidemic. In an online survey conducted at the height of the first wave of the epidemic in Slovenia (April 15-25, 2020), 830 Slovenian residents aged 18-85 years reported the effects of stressors (confinement, problems at home, problems at work, lack of necessities, and increased workload), experienced emotions, generalized anxiety, perceived stress, changes in health, fatigue and sleep quality, and perceived changes in cognition during the epidemic. Risk factors for stress (neuroticism, vulnerability, general health, gender, and age) were also recorded. We hypothesized that stressors and stress risk factors will be related to subjective cognitive decline, with negative emotions, generalized anxiety, perceived stress, and physical symptoms acting as mediator variables. On average, the results showed a mild subjective cognitive decline during the epidemic. In structural equation modeling, 34% of its variance was predicted by the mediator variables, with negative emotions and physical symptoms having the largest contribution. Stress risk factors were predictably related to the four mediator variables. Among the stressors, confinement showed the strongest effect on the four mediator variables, implying the importance of thoughtful communication about necessary restrictive measures during emergency circumstances. The results of this study indicate that the possibility of altered cognitive function should be considered when planning work and study activities during the epidemic.