Editorial: Innovation in Developmental Psychology, Education, Sports, and Arts: Advances in Research on Individuals and Groups -Volume II

Alexandra Predoiu ¹ Georgeta Panisoara ² Andrzej Piotrowski ³ Radu Predoiu ^1*

• ¹ National University of Physical Education and Sport, Bucharest, Romania
• ² Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
• ³ Institute of Psychology, University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Pomeranian, Poland

The manuscripts in this Research Topic explore interdependent themes, which we will group and suggestively name below.A first theme -Emotional and Behavioral Development Factors focuses on psychological factors influencing individual behavior, including aggression, emotional resilience, mental health, and interpersonal relationships. Authors investigated aggressive behaviors in different contexts: school vs. sports. The study by Rus et al. underlines the significant link between conflicts in the school environment and aggressive behaviors, while Patenteu et al. draw attention to the role of Foul (violent) play in athletes' risky behaviors. Also, articles have investigated how resilience, emotional intelligence and family support contribute to preventing negative behaviors and enhancing mental well-being. Children's emotional states, parental coping strategies and family resilience were examined by Vladislav et al. Authors discussed the importance of adaptive coping strategies within the family system during a period of crisis, maladaptive strategies being linked to anxiety, depression, and stress. In the context of a possible period of crisis, Yang et al. stressed the crucial role of physical activity in generating positive emotions, interpersonal forgiveness and emotional intelligence being, also, positively influenced. In a sporting setting (runners being investigated), it seems that not only athletes, but also their partners need to be physically active in a crisis situation (as the COVID-19 pandemic) for the quality of interpersonal relationships/ marital satisfaction, the research of Vilaregut et al. increasing awareness of the role of exercise on mental health. Specific concepts of positive psychology, such as happiness, resilience, hope, gratitude, character, mindfulness and growth mindsets were examined by Platt et al. Integrating these concepts into daily life improves symptoms of mental distress and levels of well-being.The second theme we identified in our Research Topic is about Education and Personal Development. This theme addresses motivation, learning, cognitive and motor development of children and students, as well as factors influencing academic performance. Regarding motivation and educational performance Li et al. emphasize the essential role of students' mentorship homegate (or team) support which encourages creative behaviors, intrinsic motivation being a mediator. The mentioned authors highlight the need for higher education institutions to cultivate a challenging research environment which positively impacts students' intrinsic motivation. In the context of educational performance, the research of Peng and Zhang revealed that achievement motivation has a positive and significant impact on the educational practice skills of pre-service teachers. Researchers underlined that achievement motivation acts as an internal drive to pursue and accomplish objectives (Wu et al., 2017), influencing work responsibility and learning engagement. Considering the cognitive development in children, Qui and Wang, respectively Wang and Zheng examined how the home environment and parenting styles influence noncognitive development and language skills. In the first case, it was found that home environment predicts the language development of toddlers, executive function playing a mediating role, while children's temperamental characteristics should be taken, also, into account. In terms of parenting style, the authoritative and the authoritarian parenting styles were investigated, Wang and Zheng emphasizing the positive impact of the authoritative style and the negative impact of the authoritarian style on the non-cognitive abilities of students (e.g., interpersonal skills, resilience), a greater impact being observed in girls. It is worth mentioning that the family socioeconomic status influences the parenting style and represents an important indicator of home environment (Chow et al., 2017), the most influential microsystem on childhood development. Not least, children's motor skill development, linked to pedagogical approaches and assessment tools, was investigated. The study by Ghorbanzadeh et al. recommends the combined method of sport education and teaching games for understanding in order to improve children's motor proficiency.But the perceived motor competencies (PMC) are, also, important, along with the actual motor competencies, in children's motor and psychological development. Bretz et al. proposed the SEMOK-1-2 instrument, which can be economically used for assessing children's perceived motor competencies, being suitable, also, for the monitoring of PMC during the physical education.Another subject can be identified as theme no. 3 -Health and Sports. This theme examines the influence of psychological phenomena on emotional health and performance. Predoiu et al. bring up the importance of investigating athletes' subconscious level to increase the likelihood of sports performances. Based on the dual processing model (Gawronski and Bodenhausen, 2006), authors explored the implicit/indirect aggression of athletes using an implicit association test (IAT), being aware that the automated/unconscious of processing information contribute and define, also, human behavior (Richetin and Richardson, 2008). The research by Zhou et al. underlines the existence of causal relationships between physical activity, social support and family relationships in college students. More exactly, family relations represent a causal variable for physical activity behaviors, while social support represents a causal variable of both family relationships and physical activity behaviors. We also find research, like that conducted by Hong and Minikin which offers insights into practitioners' perceptions and experiences of the Voices of Athletesa specialized athlete support program, playing a critical role in empowering athletes, preparing them for post-sport life and helping them become leaders within their communities.Research in this Research Topic provides valuable insights into how educational practices can be improved to foster lifelong learning and adaptability in an evolving world. Studies on aggression in sports, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on athletes, and the role of exercise in emotional regulation emphasize the interconnectedness of physical and psychological wellbeing. By integrating these perspectives, educators and researchers can develop holistic approaches that support healthy development across multiple life domains. The important insights that the Research Topic generates assist professionalsteachers, social workers, psychologists, coaches, in supporting children, adolescents, or adults, encouraging them to consistently focus on their capacity to learn and evolve.