Predictors of waste sorting and recycling behavioural intention among youths: Evidence from Shenzhen, China and Turku, Finland.

Waste sorting and recycling (WSAR) is a crucial issue for sustainable waste management. Growing up with new values, the younger generation has the responsibility to lead the society towards a sustainable future. The successful implementation of WSAR requires an in-depth understanding of the attitudes and obstacles of the youth participation. This study seeks to explore and compare the influencing factors of youth engagement in WSAR in Shenzhen, China and Turku, Finland by drawing on the theory of planned behaviour. Quantitative data was collected from 170 youth citizens in Shenzhen and 179 in Turku. Structural equation modelling results suggest that there is a clear consistency between the youth's intention and behaviour in both cities. Two reverse pyramids were constructed to prioritize the influencing factors based on their importance in the structural models. Subjective norms, knowledge and perceived behavioural control are key influencing factors in Shenzhen group while in Turku' s setting, compatibility acts as a top determinant whereas, subjective norms have the least influencing power. Results from Turku also reveal that lower compatibility does not necessarily hinder youth participation in WSAR practice. Several suggestions and implications on boosting youth participation in WSAR are drawn, based on these findings.

Comparative analysis of Student's live online learning readiness during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the higher education sector.

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, many countries are facing a dramatic situation in terms of the global economy and human social activities, including education. The shutdown of schools is affecting many students around the world, with face-to-face classes suspended. Many countries facing the disastrous situation imposed class suspension at an early stage of the coronavirus outbreak, and Asia was one of the earliest regions to implement live online learning. Despite previous research on online teaching and learning, students' readiness to participate in the real-time online learning implemented during the coronavirus outbreak is not yet well understood. This study explored several key factors in the research framework related to learning motivation, learning readiness and student's self-efficacy in participating in live online learning during the coronavirus outbreak, taking into account gender differences and differences among sub-degree (SD), undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) students. Technology readiness was used instead of conventional online/internet self-efficacy to determine students' live online learning readiness. The hypothetical model was validated using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The results revealed no statistically significant differences between males and females. On the other hand, the mean scores for PG students were higher than for UG and SD students based on the post hoc test. We argue that during the coronavirus outbreak, gender differences were reduced because students are forced to learn more initiatively. We also suggest that students studying at a higher education degree level may have higher expectations of their academic achievement and were significantly different in their online learning readiness. This study has important implications for educators in implementing live online learning, particularly for the design of teaching contexts for students from different educational levels. More virtual activities should be considered to enhance the motivation for students undertaking lower-level degrees, and encouragement of student-to-student interactions can be considered.

Relative Age Effect in Mind Games: The Evidence from Elite Chess.

Numerous studies have attempted to investigate the factors affecting superior intellectual performance, and it has been proposed that a possible biological marker for superior intellectual performance is the month of birth. In this study, birth details of chess players were obtained from the official international chess federation website. The rating lists of top junior female chess players ("Girls" category), top junior male chess players ("Boys"), top female chess players ("Female"), and top male chess players ("Male") were collected between July 2000 and August 2015. The birth months of each player that appeared in the top rating list were categorized into quarters. Additionally, relative age of chess players was calculated. Results supported the existence of the relative age effect in chess in all categories although a "reverse" RAE was found in the "Male" category.