Purpose: While the impact of social support on academic performance is acknowledged, the specific mechanisms by which social support affects academic performance, particularly through self-efficacy and learning engagement, remain poorly understood. This study aims to examine the correlation between social support and academic achievement among Chinese middle school students, framed within the Social Cognitive Theory. It also seeks to explore the mediating roles of self-efficacy and learning engagement in this relationship. Method: Data was collected from 265 individuals (mean age = 13.47 years, SD = 0.5) in four middle schools in Shandong Province, China in June 2023, using the simple random sample technique. Participants completed the questionnaires independently, and the data was analyzed using the structural equation model (SEM) in AMOS 24.0 and SPSS 24.0. Results: Social support and academic performance have a direct and significant relationship with the SCT among middle school students. In addition, social support indirectly and positively affects academic performance through self-efficacy and learning engagement. The results also highlight self-efficacy as a key factor linking social support with academic performance. Practical implications: This study offers valuable insights into the role of social support in Chinese middle school students’ academic achievement, particularly by examining the impact of self-efficacy and learning engagement. These valuable findings may guide policymakers in creating a supportive educational environment both inside and outside the classroom, enhancing adolescents’ self-confidence and engagement in learning. Originality: This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of social support by investigating the mechanisms through which it impacts academic achievement. It clarifies the complex interactions among social support, self-efficacy, learning engagement, and academic achievement, with particular emphasis on the mediating roles of self-efficacy and learning engagement within the Chinese context.

The fourth industrial revolution and the digital transformation represented by Industry 4.0 have stimulated digital innovations in economic and social spheres, accelerating the structural transformation of the labor market and increasing the demand for high-quality vocational education and training. The influence of digital technology on student satisfaction is acknowledged; nonetheless, the precise mechanisms via which it impacts student satisfaction related to learning experience and learning engagement remain largely unexplored. This study seeks to investigate the impact of digital technology usage on student satisfaction of Chinese higher vocational college students, mediated by learning experience and learning engagement, employing Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) as the theoretical framework. In June and July 2023, 424 participants were chosen from public vocational institutions in Hubei Province, Central China, using the simple random sampling method. Results were analyzed utilizing structural equation modeling (SEM) in AMOS 24.0 and SPSS 26.0. The findings indicated a significant correlation between digital technology usage and student satisfaction. Moreover, the digital technology usage exhibited an indirect and positive correlation with student satisfaction of vocational students through learning experience and learning engagement, respectively. The findings highlight the importance of learning experience as a crucial element connecting digital technology usage to student satisfaction. This study urges administrators and educators to recognize the significance of learning experiences and learning engagement in the use of digital technology, fosters a supportive educational environment through digital resources, facilitates substantial changes in teaching and learning in higher vocational education, and executes strategies to connect academia with industry. This study’s distinctiveness lies in its enhancement of theoretical understanding of digital technology usage by investigating the mechanisms via which it affects student satisfaction. This clarifies the complex interconnections among digital technology usage, learning experience, learning engagement, and student satisfaction, emphasizing the mediating roles of learning experience and learning engagement in the Chinese context.

This paper reports a manufacturable process of 0.18 micron SiGe BiCMOS integrating novel structure SiGe HBTs and 0.18 micron foundry-compatible CMOS devices. N-type SiGe HBT is newly designed by removing deep trench isolation, N+ sink collector pick-up and collector epitaxial growth. Instead, junction isolation, collector pick-up of deep contact through field oxide and implanted collector are used in SiGe HBT. The peak fT and fmax of N-type high speed SiGe HBT are 120GHz and 110GHz, respectively and the size of SiGe HBT is only half as conventional one. CMOS front-end process steps except P+ source/drain implants and RTA are prior to that of SiGe HBTs to minimize the impact of CMOS thermal budgets on SiGe HBT.