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Article History

Received: 20 May 2024

Accepted: 5 November 2024

First Online: 14 November 2024

Competing interests

: The authors declare no competing interests.

: The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the School of Education at Liaoning Normal University (Ethics Approval Number: LSDJYXB2024003). This research complies with all relevant ethical guidelines, including the institutional protocols for research involving human participants and the Declaration of Helsinki. The ethics approval covered all aspects of the study, including participant recruitment, data collection, and analysis. All procedures were conducted in line with these regulations to ensure the protection of participants’ rights, confidentiality, and informed consent throughout the research.

: This study obtained written informed consent from both participants and their legal guardians, facilitated by trained research assistants prior to data collection in early 2024. Given the involvement of minors, special care was taken to ensure that consent was appropriately secured. Legal guardians were provided with clear information about the study’s objectives, procedures, and participants’ rights, highlighting the voluntary nature of participation and the right to withdraw at any time without penalty. Additionally, minors received age-appropriate explanations to help them understand the study’s purpose and their role. Both legal guardians and minors signed the consent forms to confirm their understanding and agreement. Participants were assured that their anonymity and confidentiality would be strictly protected, with no personally identifiable information collected. The consent covered participation in the study, the use of collected data for research purposes, and permission to publish the findings. As a token of appreciation, participants received a small gift (e.g., a pen or card), regardless of whether they completed the study. This gift was provided solely as a gesture of gratitude, not as an incentive, ensuring the voluntary nature of participation was preserved.