Colleges and universities worldwide have adopted online teaching for short or long periods in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. This study examines the appraisal results of specific techno-stressors related to online instruction and how these appraisal results impact teachers’ continuance intention towards online instruction. The investigation is important because it enables university administrators to manage different techno-stressors distinctively and adopt appropriate coping strategies to support online teaching. A research model is developed based on the transactional theory of stress (TTS) and tested empirically with a sample of 201 university teachers in China. The results reveal that (a) work overload is positively associated with university teachers’ challenge appraisal but negatively associated with their threat appraisal; (b) invasion of privacy is not significantly associated with challenge or threat appraisal; (c) work–home conflict is positively associated with threat appraisal but negatively associated with challenge appraisal; and (d) challenge appraisal is positively associated with continuance intention, while threat appraisal is negatively associated with continuance intention. Implications for online learning during pandemics are discussed.

Background: As a fundamental approach to fostering students’ scientific literacy, argumentation has received more and more attention from science researchers and educators. Preservice science teachers’ (PSTs) abilities to both construct and evaluate arguments are fundamental to their future science teaching. Research combining these two aspects of PSTs’ argumentation abilities is lacking. Purpose: This study aims to investigate PSTs’ argumentation ability from both construction and evaluation perspectives and to explore their relationship. Sample: A total of 76 first-year graduates enrolling in a postgraduate-level science teachers preparation program at a university in China participated in this study, and 69 valid responses were obtained. Design and methods: This study employed the Chinese version of the Argument Evaluation Test (AET) translated from Martin-Gamez and Erduran (2018) to assess the participants’ abilities to evaluate arguments, and the Argument Construction Test (ACT) designed following Toulmin’s Argument Pattern (TAP) to assess the participants’ abilities to construct arguments. The participants completed the tests via an online questionnaire system. Results: The findings show: (1) Many limitations concerning PSTs’ abilities to evaluate arguments were visible. They were more incompetent in identifying ‘what is a good rebuttal’ than in identifying ‘what is a good argument’. (2) PSTs had obvious deficiencies in constructing arguments. Their performance in the dimensions of data, rebuttal and backing was significantly lower than their performance in the dimesion of warrant. (3) PSTs performed significantly better in a socio-technological issue (STI) than in a socio-scientific issue (SSI) in the dimension of evidence, and significantly better in an SSI than in a social issue (SI) in the dimension of the warrant. (4) A significant and moderate correlation was found between PSTs’ abilities to evaluate arguments and their abilities to construct arguments. Conclusions: This study suggests that first-year graduates (also postgraduate-level PSTs) are not well-prepared for teaching argumentation. There are a high necessity and urgency to offer systematic courses focusing on argumentation skills in PSTs programs. The ability to evaluate arguments and ability to construct rebuttals need to be highlighted in such courses. More attention needs to be paid to PSTs’ abilities to construct arguments with data and evidence rather than their abilities to simply propose claims and to show their warrants.

During global COVID-19 outbreak, universities in many countries were closed, and students experienced the exclusive online learning as never before. This study aimed to examine the mediating role of Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) in the effects of university students’ technostress caused by remote learning on three dimensions of learning burnout, namely emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and academic inefficacy, and possible moderating role of gender, ICT competence, and course load in the indirect effects of university students’ technostress on their learning burnout mediated by IU. Altogether 801 Chinese students from 72 universities voluntarily participated in this study by filling out an online questionnaire consisting of Technostress Survey, Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey, and Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-12. The participants reported relatively low technostress, learning burnout with a moderate level of IU during online learning. Structural equation modelling showed that: 1) technostress positively predicted IU, emotional exhaustion, and academic inefficacy; 2) IU partially mediated the effects of technostress on emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and academic inefficacy. 3) ICT competence moderated the indirect effects of technostress on emotional exhaustion via IU while moderating effects of gender and course load were not found.