📄 social science

Subjective Task Value and Activating Affect in English Learning: Construct Differentiation and Associations with Proficiency

This study of Spanish preservice teachers demonstrates that while interest, utility, perceived cost, and activating emotions are theoretically distinct constructs in English learning, they exhibit varying degrees of empirical overlap yet collectively predict proficiency, with perceived cost and negative activating emotions showing the strongest negative associations.

Gemma Delicado Puerto, Jesús A. G. Ochoa de Alda, Cristina Manchado Nieto, Laura Victoria Fielden Burns2026-09-28
📄 social science

Crying as the Primordial Unknown-State Emotion: An Emotional Saturation Threshold Model with Cross-Sectional Survey Validation

This paper proposes and validates the Emotional Saturation Threshold (EST) model, a mathematical framework positing that crying is a universal overflow response triggered when the intensity of any emotion exceeds the capacity of its specific behavioral expressions, thereby unifying crying across the entire valence spectrum and explaining its primacy in neonates.

Akbar Anbar Jafari, Gholamreza Anbarjafari2026-09-28
📄 social science

Visual–semantic coherence of Chinese colour metaphor lexemes: What interpretable visual features reveal about multimodal meaning stability

This study demonstrates that the visual–semantic coherence of Chinese colour metaphor lexemes is significantly predicted by interpretable visual features—particularly horizontal symmetry and consistent visual variability—rather than just central image tendencies, revealing that multimodal meaning stability relies on the recognizability of visual patterns across diverse digital instantiations.

Shaoxin Chen, Yufeng Wu2026-09-28
📄 social science

Country-level differences in player experience reveal eight clusters across 26 countries

Through a large-scale survey of *Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege* players across 26 countries, this study identifies eight distinct socio-geographic clusters characterized by systematic cross-cultural differences in player experience, such as higher autonomy in European regions and stronger community presence in Asian regions, thereby highlighting the need for context-sensitive game design and research.

Ahmad Azadvar, Alessandro Canossa, Casper Harteveld2026-09-28
📄 social science

Scaffolded and Unscaffolded Generative AI Use in Mathematics Teacher Education: Effects on Pre-Service Teachers’ Instructional Design Competence

This mixed-methods study demonstrates that providing pedagogical scaffolding for generative AI use significantly enhances pre-service mathematics teachers' instructional design competence, AI readiness, self-regulated learning, and critical thinking compared to unscaffolded AI use.

Francis Ohene Boateng, Isaac Davor, Ernest Larbi, Esther Adwubi Boateng2026-09-27
📄 social science

Perceived Stress and Coping Strategies among Postgraduate Students in the University of Calabar and the University of Cross River State, Nigeria

This cross-sectional study of 427 postgraduate students at the University of Calabar and the University of Cross River State reveals that moderate perceived stress is prevalent and significantly predicted by financial instability and institution type, with students primarily utilizing time management and emotion-focused coping strategies.

Antor Odu Ndep, Etta Desmond Ntui, Precious Chidozie Azubuike, Temidayo Akinreni, Emmanuel Chikaima Azubuike, Christian (…)2026-09-26