This study examined the mediating role of physical self-perception profile (PSPP) in the relationship between physical activity (PA) and quality of life (QoL) among China university students. A total of 420 students from five public universities in China participated in this quantitative study. Data were collected using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form, the PSPP, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF. Correlation and mediation analyses were conducted using SPSS 27 and SmartPLS 4.0. The results indicated moderate positive correlations among PA, PSPP, and QoL. Mediation analysis showed that PSPP partially mediated the relationship between PA and QoL, with a Variance Accounted For of 28.8%. PA significantly predicted PSPP (β = 0.54, p < 0.001) and QoL (β = 0.42, p < 0.001), while PSPP also significantly predicted QoL (β = 0.31, p < 0.001). The findings of this study underscore the importance of PSPP in promoting health and QoL among university students. Integrating strategies to enhance PSPP may strengthen wellness promotion initiatives within higher education settings. The model involving PA, PSPP, and QoL variables will allow university administrators, healthcare professionals, researchers, and the general public to better estimate the expected physical activity involvement.

With the rapid integration of AI into higher education, teachers’ psychological responses are critical for technology adoption. This study examines AI self-efficacy and AI anxiety among university teachers in a Chinese university. It investigates the relationship between these two constructs and explores differences based on gender, age and academic major. A quantitative survey was administered to 350 teachers selected through stratified random sampling based on major. Results showed that both AI self-efficacy and AI anxiety were significantly above the neutral midpoint (M = 4.48, SD = 0.76; M = 4.35, SD = 0.85). AI self-efficacy was strongly and negatively associated with AI anxiety ( r = − 0.59, p <0.01) and remained a significant negative predictor after controlling for gender, age, and major (β = − 0.112, p = .026). Female teachers reported higher anxiety and lower self-efficacy than male teachers, whereas computer science teachers reported the highest self-efficacy and the lowest anxiety. These findings suggest that university teachers may feel simultaneously capable of using AI and apprehensive about its broader implications. The study provides evidence from Chinese higher education and highlights the value of differentiated institutional support that addresses both teachers’ confidence in using AI and their professional concerns.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI), a subset of AI that produces new content in response to prompts, has rapidly become part of higher education. Students use large language models and related...