Examining the Antecedents of Novice STEM Teachers' Job Satisfaction: The Roles of Personality Traits, Perceived Social Support, and Work Engagement.

It is reported that teachers' satisfaction levels are lower and stress levels are higher than other professional groups in many countries. This is especially true for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers. Considering job satisfaction has a direct impact on turnover intention, low satisfaction levels have led to high turnover rates and thus exacerbated the shortages of STEM teachers. Hence, there is an urgent need to explore the antecedents of novice STEM teachers' job satisfaction. This study proposes a new model to show how novice STEM teachers' personality traits and perceived social support influence their job satisfaction. A total of 2592 novice STEM teachers in eighteen randomly selected high schools in China were recruited. Data were analyzed using the structural equation modeling approach. The results illustrated that most novice STEM teachers had low levels of job satisfaction. Novice STEM teachers' personality traits could directly and indirectly impact their job satisfaction. Meanwhile, novice STEM teachers' job satisfaction was also directly influenced by work engagement and indirectly influenced by their perceived social support. Our findings theoretically contribute to the understanding of the determinants of STEM teachers' job satisfaction and have important practical implications.

Medical and nursing students' satisfaction with e-learning platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic: Initial findings of an experimental project in China.

Satisfaction with learning management systems (LMSs) is an essential indicator of students' e-learning experiences and reflects the quality of e-learning. Applying the technology satisfaction model, the present study aimed to investigate medical and nursing students' satisfaction with LMSs and its predictors. We conducted our survey at a medical university located in East China and received a total of 329 effective responses. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data. Our findings confirmed that perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness were two direct predictors of medical and nursing students' satisfaction with LMSs. Furthermore, the influence of perceived usefulness on satisfaction was more powerful than that of perceived ease of use. This study also substantiated that computer self-efficacy and perceived ease of use can indirectly impact medical and nursing students' satisfaction with LMSs. Our research effectively links the theoretical hypotheses with empirical findings, highlighting the central role of Computer Self-Efficacy (CSE), perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness in shaping medical and nursing students' satisfaction with LMSs. Our findings contributed to the understanding of the technology satisfaction model and medical and nursing students' e-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Online learning satisfaction in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic: A regional comparison between Eastern and Western Chinese universities.

Student satisfaction is of great significance in online learning, but few studies have explored its determinants in emerging countries. This study investigated the determinants of university students' satisfaction with online learning platforms in China through applying the Technology Satisfaction Model during the COVID-19 pandemic, when an unprecedented amount of learning began to take place online due to the closure of educational institutions. A total of 928 students from five universities in four Chinese provinces or municipalities were surveyed through a purposive sampling technique and analyzed through structural equation modeling and the Rasch model. Findings show that Chinese university students' satisfaction with online learning platforms is directly and indirectly impacted by their computer self-efficacy and the perceived ease of use and usefulness of the platforms. Findings also show that regional differences moderate the associations among these components. The current study adds to theoretical, methodical and practical understanding of university students' satisfaction with using online learning platforms, which have been recognized as irreplaceable emergency educational tools.