Xitao Fan’s research while affiliated with The University of Hong Kong and other places

This meta-analysis explores the impact of informal science education experiences (such as after-school programs, enrichment activities, etc.) on students' attitudes towards, and interest in, STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). The research addresses two primary questions: (1) What is the overall effect size of informal science learning experiences on students' attitudes towards and interest in STEM? (2) How do various moderating factors (e.g., types of informal learning experience, student grade level, academic subjects, etc.) impact student attitudes and interests in STEM? The studies included in this analysis were conducted within the United States in K-12 educational settings, over a span of thirty years (1992–2022). The findings indicate a positive association between informal science education programs and student interest in STEM. Moreover, the variability in these effects is contingent upon several moderating factors, including the nature of the informal science program, student grade level, STEM subjects, publication type, and publication year. Summarized effects of informal science education on STEM interest are delineated, and the implications for research, pedagogy, and practice are discussed.

The importance of "willingness to communicate" (WTC) in foreign language learning has been widely discussed. However , the current research on WTC mainly focuses on traditional classrooms, and there is insufficient attention to WTC in L3 online learning. This study explored the psychological process among motivation, WTC, foreign language enjoyment (FLE), foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA), and perceived positive language interaction (PPLI). Based on data collected from 492 college students who were taking the online L3 course, results showed that: (1) L3 learners were somewhat willing to use L3 for communicating in online classes; (2) motivation was positively related to WTC; (3) FLE and FLCA mediated the relationship between motivation and WTC differently; (4) PPLI had moderating effects on both the relationship between FLE and WTC and between FLCA and WTC. Implications of online foreign language learning were discussed. K E Y W O R D S foreign language enjoyment, motivation, online language teaching and learning, third language (L3), willingness to communicate (WTC) Int J Appl Linguist. 2023;1-19.

Digital educational games exhibit substantial promise in advancing STEM education. Nevertheless, the empirical evidence on both the efficacy of digital game-based learning and its designs in STEM education is characterized by notable inconsistencies. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate (1) the general effect of digital game-based STEM learning over STEM learning without digital game, and (2) the enhancement effect of added game-design elements against base game versions in STEM learning. Two meta-analyses were conducted in this study. Based on the 136 effect sizes extracted from 86 studies, the first meta-analysis revealed a medium to large general effect of digital game-based STEM learning over conventional STEM learning (g = 0.624, 95% CI [0.457, 0.790]). In addition, digital game-based STEM learning appeared to be differentially effective for different learning outcome, different types of game, and different subject. A total of 44 primary studies and 81 effect sizes were identified in the second meta-analysis. The results revealed a small to medium enhancement effect of added game-design elements over base game versions (g = 0.301, 95% CI [0.163, 0.438]). Furthermore, our results indicated that the game-design elements added for content learning were more effective than those added for gaming experience. Possible explanations for these findings, as well as the limitations and directions for future research were discussed.

This study aimed to explore the relationship between trait emotional intelligence and disordered eating by proposing and testing the mediating roles of body dissatisfaction and body image inflexibility. A total of 500 Chinese adults (48.8 % women) completed questionnaires for assessing trait emotional intelligence, body dissatisfaction, body image inflexibility, and disordered eating. Correlation analyses were conducted to evaluate the relationships between the study variables. Mediation analysis was performed to examine the mediating roles of body dissatisfaction and body image inflexibility in the relationship between trait emotional intelligence and disordered eating. Multi-group analysis was further conducted to assess the invariance of the mediation model across men and women. Correlation analyses revealed significant bivariate relationships among the four study variables. In both men and women, the relationship between trait emotional intelligence and disordered eating was fully mediated by body dissatisfaction and body image inflexibility. Multi-group invariance analysis showed that this mediation model was invariant across men and women. The findings shed light on the potential mechanisms in the relationship between trait emotional intelligence and disordered eating. In developing interventions for reducing disordered eating, the findings of the current study may be considered to improve intervention effectiveness.

The increasing prevalence of problematic internet use has heightened concerns about its adverse impact on internet users’ mental health. Despite reviews investigating the associations between problematic internet use and mental health outcomes, there is a lack of understanding of various aspects of students’ mental health. This study aimed to bridge this gap by providing a more comprehensive overall picture of this issue through a quantitative synthesis based on three-level random-effects meta-analytic models. In total, 223 studies with a cumulative total of 498,167 participants and 512 effect sizes were included in this synthesis. The results showed that problematic internet use was moderately and positively associated with depressive symptoms, anxiety, loneliness, and other mental health outcomes, and negatively related to subjective well-being. Moderator analyses revealed that several study features (i.e., school grade, region, measure of problematic internet use, publication year, and gender) could explain the variations in the findings across individual studies. These research results provide solid evidence for the link between problematic internet use and different mental health outcomes and have implications for future research and interventions on students’ problematic internet use.

This longitudinal study utilized piecewise growth modeling to examine how teacher–child interaction quality contributed to children’s academic and cognitive growth in a stratified random sample of Chinese children. Data on the classroom teacher–child interaction quality (the three domains of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System: Emotional Support, Classroom Organization, and Instructional Support) and child outcomes (Chinese reading, native vocabulary, math, and executive functioning) were collected three times (T1, T2, and T3) during K2 through K3 years. Findings showed that the Instructional Support (IS) score at the second semester of kindergarten 2 (T1, K2-2) was significantly related to preschool K2-2 children’s initial levels of native vocabulary, math, and executive function scores. More importantly, IS predicted preschoolers’ math growth during Stages 1 (K2-2 to K3-1) and 2 (K3-1 to K3-2), and predicted executive function growth during Stage 2 (K3-1 to K3-2). Findings are discussed in the context of Chinese early childhood education policies and practice, as well as limitations and future research directions.