Introduction As noted in successive OECD assessment reports, global education systems are shifting from standardized assessments toward prioritizing students’ psychological wellbeing and autonomous agency. However, cross-cultural quantitative evidence regarding how these macro-policy transformations relate to students’ micro-psychological perceptions and academic behaviors remains limited. Methods Utilizing a cross-sectional survey, this study analyzed data from 1,309 university students in Shanghai, China, and Kazakhstan. Multi-Group Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were employed to examine the structural associations and measurement invariance among Perceived Educational Transformation (PET), Intrinsic Motivation (IM), and Learning Engagement (LE). Results The three-factor model demonstrated strict measurement invariance across both samples. SEM findings indicated that IM partially mediated a significant indirect associative mechanism the positive structural relationship between PET and LE (indirect effect = 0.098, 95% CI [0.076, 0.122]). This statistical mediating pathway was consistent across both cohorts, showing only trivial inter-group differences (all parameter Δ p > 0.05). Baseline comparisons revealed the Shanghai sample reported higher PET, yet IM and LE levels exhibited no significant quantitative differences between the two groups (Cohen’s d < 0.10). Discussion Higher perceptions of educational transformation do not linearly correspond to enhanced motivation, potentially constrained by unobserved systemic evaluation pressures. The findings suggest that autonomy-supportive educational environments are consistently associated with higher Intrinsic Motivation and academic engagement, regardless of differentiated macro-educational contexts. However, due to the cross-sectional design, these findings represent structural associations rather than directional causality.
The present study examined differences in the desire to become a celebrity versus a hero in Iran and Afghanistan and investigated whether admiration of one’s favorite celebrity was associated with these aspirations. Participants completed an online questionnaire including a 7-item version of the Celebrity Attitude Scale (CAS-7) and measures of desire to become a celebrity or hero. In Iran, participants reported significantly greater interest in becoming a hero than a celebrity, whereas this difference was not significant in Afghanistan. CAS-7 scores were positively associated with the desire to become a celebrity in both Iran and Afghanistan. These findings suggest that the desire to be a hero, rather than a celebrity, extends well beyond American borders.
Evolutionary theorizing indicates that people vary considerably in their capacity to retain intimate partners, and part of this variation may contribute to singlehood. Candidate items were generated with AI tools and refined by the authors into an instrument to measure this capacity. In a sample of 2296 participants from Greek, Russian, and Ukrainian cultural contexts, approximately one in four participants indicated a poor capacity to retain mates. Furthermore, this capacity was strongly associated with relationship status. Specifically, lower scores on this dimension were linked to an increased likelihood of being involuntarily single, voluntarily single, or between-relationships single. Lower capacity was also associated with more years spent as single and shorter relationship durations. Additionally, we identified several traits that were associated with a lower capacity to retain a relationship and, indirectly, with a higher likelihood of singlehood. Our findings were consistent across the three cultural groups and between both sexes.
نظریه‌پردازی‌های فرگشتی نشان می‌دهد که افراد از نظر ظرفیت حفظ شریک عاطفی تفاوت قابل توجهی دارند و بخشی از این تفاوت ممکن است به تجرد منجر شود. آیتم‌های اولیه با استفاده از ابزارهای هوش مصنوعی تولید و توسط نویسندگان برای ساخت ابزاری جهت سنجش این ظرفیت اصلاح شدند. در نمونه‌ای متشکل از ۲۲۹۶ شرکت‌کننده از زمینه‌های فرهنگی یونان، روسیه و اوکراین، تقریباً یک نفر از هر چهار شرکت‌کننده ظرفیت ضعیفی برای حفظ همسر گزارش کرد. افزون بر این، این ظرفیت ارتباط قوی با وضعیت رابطه داشت. به طور مشخص، نمرات پایین‌تر در این بُعد با احتمال بیشتر تجرد ناخواسته، تجرد داوطلبانه یا تجرد بین روابط ارتباط داشت. ظرفیت پایین‌تر همچنین با سال‌های بیشتری از تجرد و مدت زمان کوتاه‌تر روابط همراه بود. افزون بر این، چندین ویژگی شناسایی شد که با ظرفیت پایین‌تر برای حفظ رابطه و به طور غیرمستقیم با احتمال بالاتر تجرد مرتبط بودند. یافته‌های ما در هر سه گروه فرهنگی و بین هر دو جنسیت سازگار بود.
