This study explored the academic validation experiences of internal migrant college students and their implications for proposed psychosocial support activities. Specifically, it examined forms of academic validation, their influence on psychosocial well-being and academic persistence, and challenges in obtaining institutional support. Using a qualitative research design and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, the study examined interview accounts from eight internal migrant college students at Cavite State University–Main Campus during the academic year 2025–2026. Findings revealed that students experienced academic validation through faculty recognition, constructive feedback, peer encouragement, and academic achievements. Such experiences fostered motivation, confidence, belonging, and continued academic engagement. Conversely, limited recognition contributed to discouragement, self-doubt, and emotional distress. Participants also described homesickness, social isolation, language barriers, unfamiliar cultural practices, communication difficulties, and hesitation in seeking academic or emotional assistance. Despite these challenges, personal resilience, supportive classmates, and determination helped students adjust and persist in their studies. Based on the findings, the study proposed the BRIDGE Program, emphasizing peer mentoring, support circles, cultural integration, wellness activities, academic assistance, counseling, and opportunities for emotional expression. The study concluded that academic validation and accessible psychosocial support are important to the adjustment and educational persistence of internal migrant students. It aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 3, Good Health and Well-Being; Goal 4, Quality Education; and Goal 10, Reduced Inequalities. Its potential sustainability contribution lies in guiding inclusive institutional support practices that strengthen student welfare, social belonging, and equitable participation in higher education. These practices may also encourage more responsive and supportive campus communities.
Learning Natural and Social Sciences (IPAS) not only aims to improve students' conceptual understanding but also to foster awareness of energy-saving behavior in everyday life. However, understanding the importance of energy conservation is not necessarily followed by consistent implementation of these behaviors. This study aims to describe the use of animated media in IPAS learning and its role in building energy-saving awareness among elementary school students. This study used a qualitative approach with a descriptive method and was conducted at SDN Rambi Gundam 03 in September 2026, involving 30 fourth-grade students as observation subjects. Data were collected through learning observations and interviews with teachers. The results showed that students responded positively to the use of animated videos, characterized by enthusiasm and interest in participating in learning compared to learning that only relied on lecture methods. Students also began to understand simple actions to save energy, such as turning off lights when not in use. However, the implementation of energy-saving behaviors has not been consistent. These findings indicate that animated media has the potential to support IPAS learning about energy conservation, but it is not sufficient to prove its direct influence on changes in student behavior. Therefore, the use of animated media needs to be combined with habits and real-life activities so that students' understanding can be applied in everyday life.
Teacher development is essential for improving instructional quality and supporting sustainable school improvement. This study examined teacher development needs across educational stages in selected schools in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by focusing on three key domains: classroom practices, family engagement, and school support. Using a quantitative descriptive-comparative research design, data were collected through a structured survey administered to teachers representing the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), Primary, and Secondary levels. Descriptive statistics, One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and rank-order analysis were employed to determine the levels of teacher development indicators, examine differences across educational stages, and identify priority areas for professional development. The findings revealed high levels of teacher development across all three domains, with classroom practices receiving the highest ratings, followed by family engagement and school support. No statistically significant differences were found in classroom practices, family engagement, or school support across educational stages, indicating that teachers shared similar professional experiences regardless of teaching level. However, item-level analysis identified important developmental priorities, including strengthening student motivation, enhancing family-school partnerships, improving student well-being monitoring, and expanding opportunities for teacher participation in school decision-making. Based on these findings, the Teacher Development Enhancement Framework (TDEF) was developed to provide stage-specific interventions for EYFS, Primary, and Secondary teachers. The framework offers school leaders and policymakers an evidence-based guide for designing targeted professional development initiatives that strengthen instructional practice, organizational support, and collaborative partnerships, ultimately contributing to sustainable teacher growth and improved educational quality in UAE schools.
Scholarship initiatives support students by easing the financial burdens of their academic experiences and facilitating access to higher education. Literature on scholarship programs primarily emphasizes their benefits, including reduced stress and broader opportunities. Yet the results show contrasting findings. Some studies report greater persistence and better examination performance among recipients, while others show no statistically significant difference in overall achievement compared to non-recipients. This inconsistency underscores the need to further examine whether academic results consistently differ by scholarship status. Although scholarships are widely recognized to alleviate financial problems and expand access, evidence remains inconclusive about whether these benefits consistently translate into improved academic performance. Thus, this study examined whether accounting students’ final examination scores and General Weighted Average (GWA) differed by scholarship status. These questions were tested using the Jamovi software to determine whether a statistically significant difference exists between the two groups. Results showed a contrasting pattern: scholarship recipients performed better on the final examination, while non-recipients performed better in the GWA. These outcomes indicate that scholarship status was associated with different patterns across the two academic performance measures. Thus, the results provide empirical evidence to inform scholarship program refinement and support higher education policy decisions.
Riverbank sanitation is a socioscientific issue that students in Indonesian river cities encounter first-hand, yet validated instruments for assessing how students perceive it are scarce. This study examined a 22-item instrument and how two dimensions, perceived sanitation conditions (KS; 8 items) and perceived government policy (KP; 14 items), constitute students' overall perception (PM) of sanitation on the Kuin River, Banjarmasin. Seven experts reviewed the items before administration. After screening 300 returned questionnaires and removing 49 duplicated records, 251 responses from students at three universities adjoining the Kuin riverbank were analysed. PM was specified as a reflective–formative higher-order construct and estimated with PLS-SEM (5,000 bootstrap resamples). Internal consistency was acceptable (Cronbach's α = 0.715 for KS, 0.831 for KP and 0.866 for PM; composite reliability = 0.800 and 0.865) and discriminant validity was supported (HTMT = 0.791), but average variance extracted was below 0.50 (0.33 and 0.32). Both dimensions contributed significantly to overall perception: perceived policy (β = 0.725, 95% CI [0.677, 0.774], p < .001) and perceived sanitation conditions (β = 0.374, 95% CI [0.327, 0.420], p < .001). When the two dimensions were given equal numbers of items, however, their weights converged (0.59 vs. 0.54), indicating that much of the apparent dominance of policy reflects its larger item set. Students' overall appraisal of riverbank sanitation therefore draws on both institutional and physical appraisals, with a modest edge for perceived policy. The instrument offers a starting point for diagnosing such perceptions in place-based science education, pending further validation.
Efforts to cultivate good character with immanent, enduring, complete, and permanent moral awareness require a deep understanding of the central points of the personality domain. Internally, natural ethical values often face specific conflicts related to efforts to maintain trust, social interest, and self-esteem. Through qualitative research, the potential of natural ethics, examined using the literature survey review (LSR) method, aims to elaborate on the main pillars and internal stimuli of the domain as drivers for the formation of an inherent, genuine, and inherent individual character. The results indicate that efforts to build full awareness (conscious awareness) through equivalent, proactive, interconnected, and coherent thinking activities are a crucial part of growing self-awareness. This effort in Sufi Islamic education is carried out naturally, immediately, and naturally, involving the ethical values inherent in each domain. Starting from the effort of "self-knowledge" as the central point, that each individual is composed of the physical (zahir), spiritual (batin), and soul (nafs), moral values are placed as the primary driving force, the elan vital inherent in all human activities. The integration of knowledge and good deeds motivates a person to serve Allah SWT, strengthens his or her faith (tasdiq), and spiritually motivates him or her to behave commendably with a strong spirit in attitude, words, deeds, and behavior, bringing goodness and benefit in various life circumstances and situations.
The main objective of the study is to find out the significance of the mediating effects of transformational leadership and work engagement on the relationship between professional self-esteem and teacher efficacy. Utilizing a correlational technique along with a quantitative, non-experimental and mediation research design, data were obtained from 335 public elementary teachers working in four large schools. The researcher used a cluster sampling technique and the statistical tools mean, Pearson r, and path analysis. From the results of the study, it was found that there are very high levels of professional self-esteem, teacher efficacy, transformational leadership of school heads, and work engagement. Moreover, there are no significant relationships between professional self-esteem and transformational leadership, and between transformational leadership and teacher efficacy. There are also no significant relationships between work engagement and teacher efficacy, and professional self-esteem and work engagement. However, there is a significant relationship between professional self-esteem and teacher efficacy. Furthermore, transformational leadership and work engagement have no significant combined mediation on the relationship between professional self-esteem and teacher efficacy. The findings of this study provide implications for policymakers in drafting plans, school heads in creating programs, and teachers in improving their transformational leadership, work engagement, professional self-esteem, and teacher efficacy. Keywords: education, professional self-esteem, teacher efficacy, transformational leadership, work engagement, correlation, teachers, Philippines
Learning Pancasila Education on the topic of rules at home and school for second-grade elementary students still faces challenges because some students have difficulty understanding abstract concepts of rules when they are delivered only through conventional methods. This study focuses on the effect of using the Rule Box Media on learning outcomes in Pancasila Education among second-grade students at SD QTa Annawa. This study aims to determine the differences in students' learning outcomes before and after using the Rule Box Media. The research employed a quantitative approach using a Pre-Experimental Design with a one-group pretest-posttest design. The research stages included administering a pretest to identify students' initial abilities, implementing learning activities using the Rule Box Media, administering a posttest to measure changes in learning outcomes, and analyzing the data using the Shapiro-Wilk normality test and Paired Sample T-Test with the assistance of Jamovi software. The results showed an increase in the average student learning score from 36.6 in the pretest to 92.0 in the posttest. The Paired Sample T-Test results obtained a significance value of p < 0.001, indicating a significant difference between students' learning outcomes before and after using the Rule Box Media. Therefore, the Rule Box Media has an effect on improving Pancasila Education learning outcomes on the topic of rules at home and school among second-grade students at SD QTa Annawa.
Cost estimation (Rencana Anggaran Biaya, RAB) is a course that demands careful calculation and an understanding of how costs arise in real projects. An initial observation at SMK Negeri 1 Baureno found that roughly 63% of students grasped and could apply RAB concepts. This research examines whether industrial internship (Prakerin) experience and learning motivation, individually and jointly, influence the RAB learning outcomes of Building Modeling and Information Design (DPIB) students. It adopts an associative quantitative approach with an ex post facto design. Purposive sampling selected 68 twelfth-grade students who had finished their internship. Four-point Likert questionnaires measured Prakerin experience and learning motivation, while a multiple-choice test and grade records supplied the outcome data. Classical assumption tests and multiple linear regression were run in SPSS. Prakerin experience had a significant positive effect on outcomes (B = 1.137, t = 2.717, p = 0.008); the effect of motivation was positive but not significant (B = 0.782, t = 1.754, p = 0.084). Together, the two variables had a significant effect (F = 44.231, p < 0.001), explaining 57.6% of the variance. Schools should improve internship quality and link students' industry experience to RAB teaching
Empathy toward animals plays an important role in developing children’s positive attitudes toward animals. However, validated educational modules and culturally appropriate assessment tools for Indonesian elementary school students are still limited. This research comprised two sequential studies. Study 1 focused on developing and validating the Empathy for Animals Module and adapting the Animal Attitude Scale-10 (AAS-10) for Indonesian upper elementary students. Study 2 examined the module’s preliminary effectiveness in improving students’ attitudes toward animals. Study 1 included expert content validation, readability testing, cross-cultural adaptation of the AAS-10, confirmatory factor analysis, and reliability testing. Study 2 used a quasi-experimental pre-test–post-test control group design with 46 fourth-grade students assigned to experimental and control groups. In Study 1, the module showed strong content validity, with Aiken’s V values ranging from 0.82 to 0.92, and excellent readability, with an FVI of 0.90. The adapted AAS-10 maintained a one-factor structure and demonstrated good internal consistency, with Cronbach’s α = 0.870. In Study 2, the experimental group’s mean attitude score increased from 33.42 to 37.42, while the control group showed no significant improvement. Gain score analysis indicated a significant difference between the groups (p = 0.032), suggesting that the module was effective in enhancing students’ attitudes toward animals. The Empathy for Animals Module and the adapted Animal Attitude Scale-10 (AAS-10) showed satisfactory psychometric properties and are appropriate for Indonesian upper elementary school students. The module also demonstrated preliminary effectiveness in improving students’ attitudes toward animals.
A couple of questions in media effects research have generated many empirical tasks and as little consensus as the link between violent video game play and real-world aggression. Public argument consistently conjures up the medium after mass shootings, while scholarship has actually produced meta-analyses reaching contrary conclusions from overlapping proof. This review synthesizes experimental, longitudinal and population-level research released between 1961 and 2020, making use of twenty peer-reviewed sources situated in Web of Science, Scopus and PsycINFO that report a quantitative estimate linking violent media exposure to an aggression-related outcome. Short-term experiments find tiny rises in aggressive affect, cognition and laboratory-measured behavior, however, these estimates reduce when publication bias is modelled and rest on outcome measures of contested validity. Longitudinal designs yield effects in the exact same tiny range, with the biggest prospective meta-analysis reporting a standardized coefficient of 0.11. Population-level analyses of crime data discover no positive association between violent media consumption and violent offending. A reanalysis that anchors these contested syntheses to a common analytical scale reveals consistent yet extremely small adverse effects. Collectively, the literature supports a modest association with aggressive behavior, while failing to substantiate the causal claim linking exposure to serious violence—a narrative that disproportionately dominates public discourse.
Objectives: The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) infection has affected the lives of all strata of society since its beginning. To control the spread of the disease, a lockdown was imposed. During this time, there was a substantial increase in the usage of gadgets and reduction in outdoor activities because of online studies that resulted in serious the mental health issues, especially in the paediatric population. Material and Methods: To study the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on screen time, playtime and behaviour of the students, the study was conducted on 153 subjects of 4–18 years age group attending the outpatient department, over a period of 3 months. A questionnaire format of ten questions was framed that was asked from the children or from their parents/guardians. This study included questions such as time spent on online classes, self-study or study with parents and gadgets used for the online classes. Results: Most of the children were students of classes upper kinder garden and I, comprising 19.0% and 18.3%, respectively. Females outnumbered males in the study. Weight gain was observed in 43.8%, and signs of irritability were observed in 68.0% of the children. Weight gain showed a statistically significant correlation with the duration of online classes, indoor and outdoor playtime with p-values of 0.044, <0.005 and 0.005, respectively. There was also a statistically significant correlation between change in behaviour with outdoor playtime and sleep timings with p < 0.005 and 0.019, respectively. Conclusion: This study concluded that there was a significant increase in screen time and a decrease in outdoor play activities during the time of COVID-19 pandemic with a statistically significant correlation with the weight gain and change in behaviour of the children.
Mental health conditions have become one of the most urgent public health challenges worldwide, affecting nearly one billion people and creating substantial social and economic burdens. Despite increasing demand for psychological services, barriers such as financial costs, shortages of mental health professionals, geographical inequalities, and social stigma prevent many individuals from receiving timely support. This paper examines the biological, psychological, and environmental factors contributing to mental disorders and evaluates the potential role of artificial intelligence (AI) conversational models in mental health support. It argues that AI cannot replace licensed clinicians but can serve as a complementary tool by improving accessibility, providing continuous communication, offering privacy, and delivering personalized psychoeducation. Particular attention is given to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), where AI's predictable communication style may support communication practice and reduce social pressure. The paper also discusses AI-assisted interventions based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and examines ethical challenges, including privacy, algorithmic bias, and clinical responsibility. Overall, responsible cooperation between AI technologies and healthcare professionals may improve the accessibility and effectiveness of future mental healthcare.
This study evaluated the reliability and validity of a context-aware sleep holistic cycle gate algorithm and explored its potential for artificial intelligence (AI)-based personalized sleep management in digital health-care. A 6-week prospective observational study was conducted in 25 adults aged 20–65 years. Participants recorded daytime activities, eve-ning behaviors, presleep environmental factors, sleep outcomes, and feedback adherence using a mobile application. Five sleep-related indices were calculated, and a context-aware gate algorithm comprising five domains was applied. Reliability was assessed through internal consistency and reproducibility analyses, while validity was examined using correlations with sleep quality indicators and receiver operating characteristic curve analyses. Data completion and adherence rates were 80.3%±9.8% and 72.7%±11.6%, respectively. The sleep readiness index was positively correlated with subjective sleep quality (r=0.53, P<0.01). The algorithm demonstrated moderate predictive performance (area under the curve=0.73), with the environment and presleep gates showing the highest accuracy. Following personalized feedback, sleep onset latency decreased by 12.6%, and perceived sleep quality improved significantly (P<0.05). In conclusions, the context-aware sleep holistic cycle gate algorithm demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity for predicting sleep quality. These findings suggest that the proposed framework may serve as a foundational platform for the development of AI-driven personalized sleep management systems and future digital healthcare applications related to sleep rehabilitation and health promotion.
Understanding the learning preferences of pre-service teachers is important for designing flexible and inclusive teacher education programmes. This study examined Honey and Mumford Learning Styles Questionnaire (LSQ) dimension scores and the resulting highest-scoring and tied maximum-score classifications among Level 100 pre-service teachers in Colleges of Education in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. It also examined whether these classifications were associated with gender, teaching-level specialisation, and programme family. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted. The accessible population comprised approximately 2,800 pre-service teachers across eight Colleges of Education, from which 1,496 respondents were included in the study. Data were collected using the 80-item Honey and Mumford LSQ, which assesses four learning-preference dimensions: Activist, Reflector, Theorist, and Pragmatist. For descriptive classification, the dimension with the highest observed score was identified for each respondent, while respondents with equal maximum scores on two or more dimensions were retained in a separate Tie category. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, chi-square tests, Cramér's V, and multinomial logistic regression. Tied maximum scores were observed for 44.5% of respondents. Among respondents with a unique highest-scoring dimension, Activist was the most frequent classification (28.7%), followed by Theorist (12.0%), Reflector (9.5%), and Pragmatist (5.3%). Highest-scoring classification was significantly associated with gender, χ 2 (4, N = 1,496) = 17.91, p = .001, Cramér's V = .109; teaching level, χ 2 (4, N = 1,496) = 41.76, p < .001, Cramér's V = .167; and programme family, χ 2 (12, N = 1,496) = 178.94, p < .001, Cramér's V = .200. The effect sizes were relatively small. Multinomial regression identified differences in selected outcome contrasts, particularly for teaching level and programme family, although several estimates had wide confidence intervals and should be interpreted cautiously. The findings demonstrate considerable variation in LSQ score patterns and show that a substantial proportion of respondents could not be assigned a unique highest-scoring dimension. These results support cautious use of learning-style classifications as descriptive indicators of reported preferences rather than as fixed learner types. Teacher education programmes should therefore emphasise varied pedagogical experiences incorporating active engagement, reflection, theoretical understanding, and practical application.
Social deduction games require people to identify the truth-tellers and liars based on limited and vague information. This exploratory study investigated the relationship between agreeableness, neuroticism and accuracy of deception judgment in a structured social-deduction task. Sixty-three participants aged 15-35 completed a 120-item Big Five personality inventory and then observed the materials from a Werewolf game before making five judgments, three hidden-role judgments and two truth-value judgments. The results showed that neuroticism was negatively correlated with the accuracy of judgment (r = -0.294, p = .019, 95% CI [-0.505, -0.050]), and agreeableness was not significantly related to accuracy (r = -0.128, p = .317, 95% CI [-0.364, 0.124]). Exploratory analysis of trait combinations also showed that the mean accuracy of the agreeableness and neuroticism groups was different. Therefore, it is proposed that neuroticism may be linked to differences in the judgement of deception among individuals, but agreeableness alone was not significantly associated with performance in the current task. As an exploratory correlational study, the results provide an initial indication of personality differences in deception judgment under the circumstances of structured social interaction.
Objective Operating room nurses work long-term in high-intensity, high-risk environments and suffer from a high prevalence of occupational fatigue, which seriously affects their physical and mental health as well as patient safety. Based on the Job Demand-Control-Support (JDCS) model, this study aimed to examine the mediating role of perceived stress between the dimensions of the JDCS model and occupational fatigue—including acute fatigue, chronic fatigue, and inter-shift recovery—among operating room nurses. Methods This multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted from August to September 2026, enrolling 1,122 operating room nurses from 9 tertiary Grade-A hospitals in eastern, central, and western China. A general information questionnaire, the Occupational Fatigue Exhaustion Recovery Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), and the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) were administered. SPSS 25.0 was used for descriptive statistics, difference analysis, correlation analysis, and hierarchical multiple regression; AMOS 21.0 was used to construct a structural equation model, and the bias-corrected Bootstrap method was employed to test mediating effects. Results The scores of acute fatigue, chronic fatigue, and inter-shift recovery among operating room nurses were 45.55 ± 18.77, 44.13 ± 17.89, and 56.27 ± 17.83, respectively, indicating an overall moderate level of occupational fatigue. The perceived stress score was 21.01 ± 5.24; job demand was 36.44 ± 4.80; job control was 71.54 ± 18.07; and social support was 24.02 ± 6.61. Hierarchical regression showed that, after controlling for demographic and work characteristics, job demand, job control, and social support remained independent correlates of all three outcomes (acute fatigue model R 2 = 0.460, chronic fatigue R 2 = 0.305, inter-shift recovery R 2 = 0.353). The structural equation model showed that job demand positively predicted perceived stress ( β = 0.182, p < 0.001), while job control ( β = −0.251, p = 0.033) and social support ( β = −0.168, p = 0.040) negatively predicted perceived stress. Perceived stress positively predicted acute fatigue ( β = 0.336, p < 0.001) and chronic fatigue ( β = 0.209, p < 0.001), and negatively predicted inter-shift recovery ( β = −0.134, p = 0.029). Bootstrap tests indicated that perceived stress played a significant partial mediating role between job demand, job control, and social support and the outcomes of acute fatigue, chronic fatigue, and inter-shift recovery, although the indirect effects were small in magnitude (proportion mediated 3.41–17.35%). Conclusion Occupational fatigue among operating room nurses in 9 tertiary Grade-A hospitals is at a moderate level, and inter-shift recovery needs improvement. Perceived stress acted as a mediating variable linking JDCS dimensions to occupational fatigue, although the mediating effects were modest in magnitude. Nursing managers can improve occupational fatigue and recovery among operating room nurses by reducing unreasonable job demands, enhancing job control, strengthening social support, and alleviating perceived stress.
As a developmental pediatrician, I’ve had the privilege of meeting children whose abilities are nothing short of extraordinary. These children might be the ones who read books meant for older kids, solve complex problems with ease, or create art that leaves you awestruck. They are often described as gifted but in India, this label isn’t always understood or embraced. Many gifted children go unnoticed, and as a result, their exceptional abilities remain untapped. Their needs aren't met, and their potential stays hidden. The time has come to recognize and nurture these gifted children.
Fundamental frequency (F0) is a salient acoustic cue in voice perception, but how F0-related attractiveness judgments vary across listeners with different sexual orientations remains insufficiently understood. This study examined attractiveness ratings under controlled F0 manipulation in Mandarin voice stimuli produced by one male and one female announcer. Eighty adults were recruited: 20 heterosexual male, 20 heterosexual female, 20 homosexual male, and 20 homosexual female participants. An adaptive three-alternative forced-choice pretest with 12 listeners established a group-level F0 just-noticeable difference (JND) of 0.215 ERB. Seven F0 levels, from −3 to +3 JNDs around each speaker’s own baseline, were then presented three times in the main experiment. Because each listener group rated only the target-voice sex that matched its presumed attraction pattern, the study compares two observed listener–target configurations rather than fully crossing listener sex, sexual orientation, and target-voice sex. Linear mixed-effects models showed that attractiveness ratings for the male voice decreased as F0 increased in both heterosexual female and homosexual male listeners, with no reliable difference in slopes. For the female voice, ratings increased with F0 in both heterosexual male and homosexual female listeners, while the homosexual-female group additionally showed a significant nonlinear component, with a fitted maximum near +2.4 JND. These findings indicate that, within these two listener–target configurations and these two controlled source voices, F0-related attractiveness judgments generally followed target-sex-related directions, whereas between-group variation was more evident in response strength and curve shape. The study contributes to experimental research on social voice perception and provides a controlled Mandarin-language baseline for future cross-linguistic comparisons of vocal social evaluation; it does not itself test intercultural variation.
Introduction This study treats adolescent athletes' self-efficacy as a dynamic process rather than a fixed quantity, asking how its fluctuations arise in online social settings and how that volatility shapes training engagement. Methods We recruited a stratified sample of 320 youth athletes across sport discipline, competitive tier, and sex, and combined ecological momentary assessment with weekly follow-up over 8 consecutive weeks, using instruments released under open licenses and open-source software throughout. Two dispersion indices, the intraindividual standard deviation and the root mean square of successive differences, summarized fluctuation at the person level, while absolute occasion-to-occasion change indexed momentary instability at the event level. We fitted multilevel linear models, a two-level dynamic structural equation model, latent growth curve models, and multilevel structural equation models, with each path labeled by its level of analysis. Results Momentary self-efficacy showed genuine within-person temporal dependence rather than independent scatter, and its trajectory was phase-linked to the competitive calendar and unevenly distributed across individuals. Between persons, fluctuation amplitude tracked the intensity of negatively valenced comparison rather than the sheer volume of feedback, and comparison orientation amplified that association on the negative arm alone. Within persons, negative comparison enlarged momentary instability both immediately and at a one-occasion lag, whereas positive signals steadied confidence only briefly. Amplitude was negatively associated with all three engagement facets beyond mean efficacy, most strongly for absorption, although a formal equality test separated absorption from dedication but not vigor. The direct reach of negative comparison into engagement proved facet-specific: vigor and absorption were affected, dedication was not, so the facet-by-facet hypothesis holds only in part. Sensitivity analyses adding competitive-calendar phase, splitting the series by season phase, partialling the person mean and the person-specific autoregression out of the amplitude index, entering competitive tier as a covariate, and checking participant-coded valence against automated sentiment scoring left the pattern intact. Discussion The findings extend social cognitive theory's vicarious and persuasive sources into a temporally dense digital regime and point toward protective coaching and self-regulation strategies.
