Educational Psychology

With rapid development in digital technology, children, adolescents, and emerging adults are growing up in an environment vastly different from any generation before them. The pervasive use of smartphones, social media, online gaming, and virtual education has ushered in a new era of social and emotional development.

This special issue aims to foster a nuanced understanding of social-emotional development among children and youth in the digital age, with a specific focus on identifying malleable factors responsive to educational intervention. Topics may include, but are not limited to, social competence, emotion regulation, identity development, peer relations, family dynamics, and mental health in relation to digital media use. Authors are encouraged to focus on malleable factors (e.g., specific media practices, motivation, peer relations, dynamics of adult-youth relationships, and ecological contexts) that support child and youth development in the digital environments. We intend to publish studies that offer insights and strategies that can be employed by educators and parents to leverage technology for positive developmental outcomes in children, adolescents, and emerging adults. Studies focusing on stable dispositional factors or demographic group differences may not align well with the scope of this issue.

• Types of articles to be considered: We invite interested authors to submit original empirical research articles. Other types of articles, such as review articles or scale validation papers, will not be considered. Following the journal’s guidelines, only quantitative studies will be considered.
• Abstract Submission: Interested authors are invited to submit their extended abstracts by email to Dr. Chia-chen Yang and Dr. Serena Shim, Guest Editors of the Special Issue, c/o Educational Psychology by email: [email protected]. Please entitle the email subject as “Abstract Submission: Special Issue on Child and Youth Social-Emotional Development in the Digital Era: Focus on Malleable Factors”. The extended abstract should be about 1000 words, excluding the references and tables.
• Full Manuscript Submission: Authors of successful proposals will be invited to submit manuscripts. All manuscripts must be submitted through the Manuscript Central site https://rp.tandfonline.com/submission/create?journalCode=CEDP. Instructions for authors, including word limits, can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/authorSubmission?show=instructions&journalCode=cedp20. The review process will follow the standard procedures of Educational Psychology but will be managed by the Guest Editors. Each submitted manuscript will undergo a double-blind review process involving at least two reviewers.
• Please note the following dates:

Phase 1: Abstract Screening

Deadline for submitting abstracts: May 15, 2024

Authors of successful proposals will be notified by: June 15, 2024

Phase 2: Manuscript Review

Deadline for submitting completed manuscripts: September 15, 2024

Authors of successful submissions for the Special Issue will be notified by: March, 2025

Instructions for AuthorsSubmit an Article