Proving is a fundamental skill that pre-service mathematics teachers are expected to develop and to support in their future students. This study aimed to examine the proving processes of pre-service middle school mathematics teachers. To this end, a total of 30 participants were selected through maximum variation sampling from among pre-service teachers who had just been admitted to a middle school mathematics teacher education program and pre-service mathematics teachers at all year levels of the program, with six participants from each level, and the data of this qualitative study were collected through clinical interviews. The data were collected in the context of the concepts of function and number. According to the results of the study, participants at the higher year levels generally showed greater success in constructing the formal-rhetorical part of a proof and in solving its problem-centered part, indicating a cross-year pattern rather than individual longitudinal change. It was also concluded that even when participants in the upper years possessed knowledge of proof methods, either their lack of sufficient conceptual knowledge to solve the problem-centered part or their deficiencies in the use of mathematical language hindered the proving process. Furthermore, it was observed that the participants were unable to use the full range of proof methods; whereas proof by counterexample showed the highest success in the proving process at every level, participants experienced difficulties in the direct proof and proof by contraposition processes. The findings suggest that the formal-rhetorical and problem-centered parts of proof should be addressed explicitly and systematically across all year levels of mathematics teacher education programs.
The decline in psychological well-being among students in higher education has been increasingly documented. Despite growing recognition of perceived employability as consequential for employees’ well-being in the labor market, less is known regarding its specific association with psychological health among college students approaching the school-to-work transition. This study examined the association between perceived employability and psychological distress among Chinese college students and further explored the variation of this association by gender and family economic condition. Data were from three consecutive waves of the Panel Survey of Chinese University Students (PSCUS, 2020–2022), tracking 2552 students from their first to their third year. Fixed-effects models were employed to account for unobserved time-invariant characteristics. Interaction models were used to investigate how gender and family economic condition would shape the relationship between perceived employability and psychological distress. Results showed that higher perceived employability was significantly associated with lower psychological distress. Interaction models further indicated that the association was primarily driven by female and economically disadvantaged students. These findings highlight the need for policymakers to develop career-related programs that enhance students’ perceived employability as a vital means of promoting the psychological well‑being of college students, with particular attention to vulnerable socioeconomic and gender groups.
کاهش بهزیستی روان‌شناختی در میان دانشجویان آموزش عالی به طور فزاینده‌ای مستندسازی شده است. با وجود افزایش شناخت نسبت به اهمیت اشتغال‌پذیری ادراک‌شده برای بهزیستی کارکنان در بازار کار، اطلاعات کمتری درباره ارتباط خاص آن با سلامت روان‌شناختی در میان دانشجویان دانشگاهی که در آستانه گذار از مدرسه به کار هستند، وجود دارد. این مطالعه ارتباط میان اشتغال‌پذیری ادراک‌شده و پریشانی روان‌شناختی را در میان دانشجویان دانشگاه‌های چین بررسی کرده و همچنین به بررسی تفاوت این ارتباط بر اساس جنسیت و وضعیت اقتصادی خانواده پرداخته است. داده‌ها از سه موج متوالی پیمایش پانل دانشجویان دانشگاه‌های چین (PSCUS، ۲۰۲۰–۲۰۲۲) گردآوری شده است که ۲۵۵۲ دانشجو را از سال اول تا سوم پیگیری کرده است. مدل‌های اثرات ثابت برای کنترل ویژگی‌های مشاهده‌نشده ثابت در طول زمان به کار گرفته شد. مدل‌های تعاملی برای بررسی نحوه تأثیر جنسیت و وضعیت اقتصادی خانواده بر رابطه میان اشتغال‌پذیری ادراک‌شده و پریشانی روان‌شناختی استفاده شد. نتایج نشان داد که اشتغال‌پذیری ادراک‌شده بالاتر به طور معناداری با پریشانی روان‌شناختی کمتر همراه است. مدل‌های تعاملی همچنین نشان دادند که این ارتباط عمدتاً توسط دانشجویان زن و دانشجویان دارای وضعیت اقتصادی نامطلوب هدایت می‌شود. این یافته‌ها بر ضرورت تدوین برنامه‌های مرتبط با شغل توسط سیاست‌گذاران برای ارتقای اشتغال‌پذیری ادراک‌شده دانشجویان به عنوان ابزاری حیاتی برای ارتقای بهزیستی روان‌شناختی دانشجویان دانشگاه، با توجه ویژه به گروه‌های آسیب‌پذیر از نظر اقتصادی و جنسیتی، تأکید می‌کند.
