Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030328
Authors: Pilar Ester Álvaro Moraleda Isabel Morales
Previous research has shown that language is an essential part of the development of mathematical skills and, specifically, in solving verbal problems. We know that using a different language from one’s mother tongue is highly beneficial for students, and that language plurality and bilingualism is more and more habitual and present in current educational environments. However, what is still not clear is how it influences certain tasks, especially the most naturalistic ones, such as the formation of the concept of numbers and in tasks with a greater verbal component, such as solving problems in the early ages. The present research examined the problem-solving performance of first- and second-grade elementary education students in bilingual environments, comparing the problem solving of students whose language of instruction (LI) is the same as their mother tongue (MT) and those whose MT differs from the LI. Through an analysis of variance, the results showed that there exist differences in change and combination problems. Discrepancies in performance were also found, depending on the evolutionary moment. These results suggest that it is necessary to study how the LI can shape mathematical skills in the early years.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030327
Authors: Camilla Highfield Melinda Webber Rachel Woods
Middle leaders are important conduits for school policy and are often required to lead, champion and monitor change initiatives in their departments. This paper examines secondary school middle leaders’ self-reported theories, promotion and leadership of culturally responsive teaching approaches for student equity. The study participants (n = 170) are curriculum leaders in state secondary schools throughout New Zealand, serving a range of diverse populations, including Indigenous Māori students. The quantitative and qualitative data for this project were thematically analysed to inquire into middle leaders’ articulation of their culturally responsive theories, practices, and pedagogical and curriculum leadership to assist members of their departments in supporting Māori student educational success. The study found that although middle leaders could clearly articulate culturally responsive, sustaining and revitalising pedagogies and leadership in alignment with government policies and expectations, they were less clear about the measures they used to evidence these practices. In addition, less than 30% of the middle leader participants mentioned academic achievement as an element of Māori student success, and few mentioned the importance of systematic monitoring of achievement data, or using them to support better learning outcomes for Māori students (184).
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030326
Authors: Alfred Essa
This paper examines a possible future for postsecondary education in the age of AI. The consensus view among economists is that AI is a general purpose technology (GPT), similar to the steam engine, electricity, and the internet. As a GPT, AI will be the main driver of innovation for the foreseeable future in most sectors of the economy, including education. As AI evolves, it holds the promise of fundamentally redefining the educational landscape, influencing not only current practices in institutional management and pedagogy but also shaping future trends in learning, evaluation, and accreditation. While traditional college-aged students have received significant attention in educational studies, this paper emphasizes the needs of adult learners as lifelong learners and explores how AI-driven innovations can enhance their educational experiences, offering personalized and flexible learning solutions. This paper also argues that a dramatic breakthrough is needed in the cost–value equation for education to support workforce development and lifelong learning.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030325
Authors: Jia Xia Takaya Yuizono Tzu-Yang Wang Eunyoung Kim
This study demonstrates a new intangible cultural heritage (ICH) design course and its effectiveness of interdisciplinary teams with digital technology beyond conventional single-disciplinary teams. A design guideline for ICH was built on the basis of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory (EST). Then, an evaluation standard involving five criteria (culture fit, creativity, aesthetics, experientiality, diversity) was established. Thirty students participated in the course and were divided into four teams of two types as follows: two interdisciplinary teams consisting of students from different backgrounds and two single-disciplinary teams consisting of students from the visual communication department. Experts assessed the design works and design process of the four teams according to the evaluation criteria as follows: (1) there are differences in the application of the ICH design guideline between the interdisciplinary approach with digital technology and the conventional teaching method, and (2) the ICH design course positively affects the five criteria. The interdisciplinary approach with digital technology in ICH design is more likely to stimulate students’ creativity. These findings emphasize the importance of new ICH design courses and provide insights for future design educators.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030324
Authors: Sabine Chatelain Karine Barman Carlos Lage-Gómez Marcelle Moor
According to research about creativity in education, creativity can be considered an ability that can be fostered through specific teaching strategies. Consequently, future secondary music teachers should be equipped with the knowledge to develop students’ musical creativity. A challenge for teacher training lies in providing concepts and strategies to develop this professional knowledge. With the aim of improving a music didactics course, the purpose of this study was to understand how student teachers’ conceptions of creative music teaching evolved over one semester. In reference to the concept of creative teaching developed by Beghetto and research about the role of the teacher’s body in music education, a specific framework to identify aspects of creative pedagogical knowledge was conceived. A thematic analysis of two semi-structured interviews with five future secondary music teachers provided a detailed picture of the evolution of their conceptions about creative music teaching. Interestingly, student teachers’ knowledge of theoretical concepts presented in the course, as well as knowledge about the role of the body in creative music teaching, remained mainly implicit. Knowledge about their professional identities as creative musicians and pedagogues appeared to be relevant for enhancing awareness of how to teach with creativity. In order to describe this dimension more precisely, we develop the concept of creative stance knowledge as an emerging category from the data. Its potential for teacher training will be discussed, including a more embodied vision of creative pedagogical knowledge for music teacher training.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030323
Authors: Niek Sebastiaan Kooren Christine Van Nooijen Fred Paas
The relationship between academic performance and procrastination has been well documented over the last twenty years. The current research aggregates existing research on this topic. Most of the studies either find no result or a small negative result. However, recent studies suggest that procrastination can have a positive influence on academic performance if the procrastination is active instead of passive. To analyse the effect of active procrastination on academic performance, a meta-analysis was conducted. The analysis includes 96 articles with 176 coefficients including a combined average of 55,477 participants related to the correlation between academic performance and procrastination. The analysis uncovered a modest negative correlation between academic performance and procrastination overall. Importantly, the type of procrastination exerted a substantial impact on the strength of this correlation: active procrastination demonstrated a small positive effect size, whereas passive procrastination registered a small negative effect size. Additionally, participant-specific characteristics and indicators further modulated the magnitude of the correlation. The implications of this research extend to underscoring a potential beneficial aspect of procrastination, specifically elucidating how certain types of procrastination can positively influence academic performance.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030322
Authors: Dina Rahmi Darman Andi Suhandi Ida Kaniawati Achmad Samsudin Firmanul Catur Wibowo
This research aims to develop an instrument of knowledge and skills called the Scientific Inquiry Literacy Instrument (SILI). Instrument measurement analysis uses the Rasch model by utilizing the Winsteps application. This research uses mixed methods research that combines interviews as qualitative research and tests as quantitative research. The research design used is Sequential Exploratory. The SILI contains 28 knowledge aspect indicators and 37 skills aspect indicators. Based on the Outfit mean square (MNSQ), Z-Standard value (ZSTD), and point measure correlation value (Pt Mean Corr), it was obtained that the three aspects of the SILI meet the criteria for an acceptable item in the Rasch measurement model. Based on item analysis biased towards gender, region, and science major, all SILI items in knowledge and skills meet the probability criteria > 0.05, so all items can be used without harming one group. The findings of the research dimensionality of the SILI for aspects of knowledge and skills are 26.9% and 20.4%. Thus, all aspects of the SILI can measure what should be measured and fulfill all the criteria for items accepted based on the Rasch model for measuring science inquiry literacy.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030321
Authors: Sonia Val Helena López-Bueno
The quality of teacher education plays a key role in equipping students with the skills they need and it is important in avoiding learning inequalities. To bridge the digital divide and ensure that all students have equal access to technology and digital resources as well as advanced teaching–learning processes using digital tools, it is crucial to analyse the current state of teacher education in order to identify the key issues. The sample in this research consisted of 325 master of education students and in-service teachers studying at various universities (in Spain, Cyprus, and México) in the 2022–2023 academic year who filled out a questionnaire partly based on DigComEdu and this was expanded with questions relating to other digital and educational aspects. The findings reveal that there is potential for enhancement in many areas. Despite teachers having technical training associated with their profession, they lack the necessary training to overcome inequalities or digital gaps. Moreover, it is striking that those who are already working as teachers are the most pessimistic about aspects such as the use of digital resources, perhaps because of the difficulties they face in their daily work.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030320
Authors: Ezra Temko
This paper addresses Lukes’ and Hayward’s arguments that power should be conceived as agential versus structural. My fieldwork at Mitchell Primary School demonstrated that educators and students at Mitchell were structurally constrained and enabled but also exercised agency in navigating these institutional boundaries. Not only are both structural and agential conceptions of power valid, considering their interplay moves social analyses forward—at Mitchell, teachers’ otherwise-frequent metacognitive talk evaporated when their inclusion-oriented practices were more distant from institutional norms. Understanding power requires including its sources (from the individual actor to social structure) as one key dimension. Using this understanding could help educators more intentionally make conscious choices about their inclusion practices as they navigate their school environment.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030319
Authors: Tom Jannick Selisko Eric Klopp Christine Eckert Franziska Perels
The present study showcases attitudes toward inclusive education in a new light. It contributes to the ongoing debate regarding the extent of inclusive education and highlights the importance of teachers in a process toward inclusion. Based on a framework that involves the reciprocal relation between models of disability, learning theory, and placement of persons with disabilities, attitudes of student teachers and psychology students from a German university are analyzed and mapped through the application of a network approach. This facilitates visualization and categorization based on their statistical relation. An online questionnaire consisting of established and newly developed scales was answered by (n=) 132 student teachers and (n=) 59 psychology students, resulting in N = 191 participants. The study was publicly promoted, and participants were offered study credentials. Using a Spinglass algorithm to analyze the data, we detected two distinct communities in the network: an Exclusion Community and an Inclusion Community. These are supported by further variables (Empathy, Contact, Authoritarianism, and Social Darwinism). The findings demonstrate an especially firm Exclusion Community, whereas inclusive attitudes appear to be varied.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030317
Authors: Ivar Fossland Moa Pål Lagestad Arne Sørensen
The aim of the study was to evaluate students’ assessment of their learning after a teaching period of volleyball training in a university course. The teaching was research-based and linked to relevant theories of motor learning, small-sided games (SSG), teaching games for understanding (TGfU), and motivational climate. To examine the research question, a mixed methods design was used, which included a questionnaire and reflection notes from the students. The questionnaire data constituted the basis for an analysis of the students’ reported development in their skills and knowledge in four relevant learning outcomes, while the qualitative data provided more in-depth data related to their learning. The statistical analyses showed a significant increase in the experience of skills and knowledge in all four relevant learning outcomes related to the curriculum of the course. From reporting poor or medium goal achievement prior to the course, the students, in general, reported good goal achievement after the course. The thematic analysis of the reflection notes supported these findings, in which game activities in small groups were especially identified as positive. Furthermore, the students stated that the teacher and a learning-oriented motivational climate were crucial in contributing to a positive learning environment. Some of the students reported too little instruction and feedback from the teacher during the course. The students expressed a few suggestions for changes to the content and methodology of the teaching. The study indicates that this type of research-based teaching may be important to produce a positive learning outcome for students. Our finding is consistent with previous research, which identifies which elements should be emphasized when implementing training in this subject area. As the survey only had 30 respondents and the design did not contain a control group, caution should be exercised when drawing strong conclusions from this study.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030318
Authors: Francesca Pozzi Andrea Ceregini Stanislav Ivanov Marcello Passarelli Donatella Persico Erica Volta
This study compares two versions (one digital, one hybrid) of a serious board game for teacher training called the “4Ts game”. Teachers play the game in groups to learn about—and directly engage in—the joint design of collaborative learning activities for their students by choosing the Tasks to be proposed, the Timing of activities, the Technologies to be used, and the Team composition, in an iterative process of decision making. The game comes in three versions: fully tangible, digital, and hybrid. This paper focuses on the interaction design of the digital and hybrid versions. In both cases, teachers pick cards up from four decks, read the prompts provided in the cards, and place them on a board to design a learning activity together. Their decision-making process is scaffolded by the digital or hybrid game versions, which provide feedback and suggestions and guide teachers toward the creation of a coherent design. The user experience is quite different in the two formats. In the hybrid game, teachers physically manipulate tangible cards on a tabletop board, and the board status is replicated on a laptop application that displays automatic feedback and guidance. By contrast, the digital version is played using an Interactive Whiteboard with touch-screen capabilities, thereby allowing teachers to manipulate digital cards on a digital board. The game was used in the context of two training initiatives targeting in-service school teachers (N = 42). Data were collected on acceptance of the model upon which the game is built, acceptance of the game itself, overall user satisfaction, and knowledge gains. Results show that teachers generally liked both versions of the game, especially the opportunity provided for receiving guidance in the design process. Additionally, teachers’ knowledge about learning design and collaborative learning increased significantly between the pre- and post-test for both the digital and the hybrid game groups. However, few significant differences were found between the groups that used the digital and hybrid versions of the game: the digital version was perceived as being slightly easier to use (p < 0.001). Overall, the study suggests that both versions of the game have the potential for teacher training, while the user interface of the hybrid version should be further refined to fully harness the game’s potential.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030316
Authors: Geraldine Baßeng Alexandra Budke
In this study, a diary was developed and used by students to reflect on digital games in geography lessons. The students’ reflection results, through the use of the diary, were compared with reflections without instructional guidance. These results show a significant improvement in reflection through the use of the reflection diary compared to a previous study. Through the combination of lessons, play phases, and the reflection diary, a learning arrangement that enables in-depth reflections at different levels of reflection was created. The medium plays a decisive role by taking the pupils out of their role as players and enabling a critical distance to the game. With the help of the reflection diary, students should be able to better reflect on the game. The reflection diary is integrated into the lessons. It also shows that subject-specific lessons are indispensable for reflecting on the gaming experience in order to counteract subject-specific misconceptions.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030315
Authors: Ernest H. C. Lim Rebecca Y. P. Kan Nellie S.-R. Seng
As a special partnership that offers a unique way to strengthen the arts and cultural developments in Singapore, a new curriculum was offered to prepare students for instrumental and vocal teaching careers, with a focus on pedagogical instruction and educational theory. The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of music-student teachers engaged in this new programme within a conservatoire context. This paper outlines the framework of a new BEd (Honours) course in Instrumental and Vocal Teaching that addresses the current problem of conservatoire students being inadequately prepared for a profession in (studio) music teaching. Data were captured through focus group interviews with the first two cohorts of this programme in 2023. Three principal themes emerged from the thematic analysis, relating to how students valued contextualization, criticality and conversations within this new curriculum. The results highlight the impact of a specialist education that allows musicians to shape their profession in instrumental and vocal teaching, debunking the notion that conservatoire education is exclusive to talented performers.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030314
Authors: Mohamed M. Morsy Md. Nizam Uddin Faycal Znidi
Engineering education has continually evolved to embrace Project–Based Learning (PBL), a dynamic classroom approach emphasizing learning through engagement in real–world projects. The study conducts a comparative analysis of multidisciplinary Capstone Senior Design Projects across Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Computer Science at Texas A&M University at Texarkana. The research emphasizes understanding the dynamics of student collaboration within these disciplines and scrutinizes the impact of industry and faculty sponsorship on these projects. The methodology involves a comprehensive comparative analysis, employing diverse performance metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of different sponsorship models. This approach aims to uncover the influence of these models on project outcomes and students’ educational experiences. The results reveal notable differences between industry–sponsored and faculty–sponsored projects. Industry sponsorship leads to higher performance in overall project execution and professional skills development. In contrast, faculty–sponsored projects are more effective in nurturing teamwork and communication abilities among students. The findings suggest that each sponsorship type presents unique benefits and challenges. Industry–sponsored projects provide valuable hands–on problem–solving experience, though they may suffer from inconsistencies in mentorship and varying expectations. Faculty–sponsored projects offer a more stable and consistent educational environment but might lag slightly in performance metrics. Integrating elements from both sponsorship models could provide students with a more balanced and enriching learning experience.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030313
Authors: Nishika Edwards Richard L. Goodwin Mohammed K. Khalil Lauren A. Fowler Thomas Nathaniel
Despite recent progress, statistics show an urgent need for growth in the numbers of underrepresented minority (URM) students in STEM fields. An individual development plan (IDP) has been used to assist Ph.D. trainees in exploring career paths, developing short- and long-term career goals, and creating action plans to achieve these goals. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and many institutions require the completion of the IDP by graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and junior faculty mentees to enhance career development. However, little information exists regarding how motivated and behaviorally engaged undergraduate URM undergraduate students are in using IDP as a tool to develop their STEM career pathway. In this study, researchers present data from the motivation levels and behavioral engagement factors that are associated with the effectiveness of the IDP with 20 URM students recruited for the REP Summer program. A total of 85% of students strongly agreed that the IDP was most effective in assessing and reflecting on their academic and professional goals. The mentorship needs were met by 80% of the students, while 75% of the students agreed that the IDP was very effective in helping to identify short-term and long-term goals for their undergraduate studies. Moreover, 70% of the students were satisfied with the IDP in developing an action plan, identifying short-term and long-term goals for their professional careers, and assessing their scientific skills, interests, and values. URM students are intrinsically and extrinsically motivated to implement the IDP and pursue careers in STEM. Findings suggest that URM students’ motivation and behavioral engagement levels impact the effectiveness of the implemented IDP with these students. There is a need to identify factors that enhance the effectiveness of the IDP to determine how to maximize the career development of URM students in STEM programs.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030312
Authors: Natallia Bahdanovich Hanssen Aleksandra A. Alekseeva
Inclusive education is an important foundation of many societies, including the post-Soviet countries. It has been more than ten years since the official implementation of inclusion in Russia. However, the inclusive education system has not developed enough to be equally supported everywhere throughout the country, and is marked by controversial views on legal regulation and inclusive strategies. The purpose of this article is to examine inclusion and inclusive education, mainly for students with special educational needs, as understood in the educational policy. The data consist of legislative and strategic documents on the state level between 2012 to 2014. The data analysis was based on a qualitative content analysis. The analysis indicated two main themes: the subtle expression and lack of a definition for inclusion, and an inconsistent expression and definition of inclusive education. The results point to the necessity of encouraging discussions as well as reflections with respect to articulating and defining what inclusion is and how Russia can create an effective strategy for the further development of inclusive education.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030311
Authors: Sven Trenholm Fernando Marmolejo-Ramos
The use of video in education has become ubiquitous as technological developments have markedly improved the ability and facility to create, deliver, and view videos. The concomitant pedagogical transformation has created a sense of urgency regarding how video may be used to advance learning. Initial reviews have suggested only limited potential for the use of video in higher education. More recently, a systematic review of studies on the effect of video use on learning in higher education, published in the journal Review of Educational Research, found, overall, effects to be positive. In the present paper, we critique this study. We reveal significant gaps in the study methodology and write-up and use a cognitive processing lens to critically assess and re-analyse study data. We found the results of this study to be only applicable to learning requiring lower-level cognitive processing and conclude, consistent with prior research, that claims of a universal benefit are not yet warranted.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030310
Authors: José Fernández-Cerero Julio Cabero-Almenara Marta Montenegro-Rueda
The integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) in education has emerged as a transformative element, contributing significantly to the establishment of more inclusive educational environments. In this context, understanding the impact of technological tools becomes crucial to identifying the opportunities and limitations that students encounter when incorporating these resources in university classrooms. The main objective of this research is to analyse the impact of ICT use in higher education, with a specific focus on the perceptions of students with disabilities. Information was collected through interviews with university students with disabilities. The results reveal both advantages and difficulties and underline the importance of designing and implementing technologies in an inclusive way. Key issues relating to accessibility and participation are addressed, providing valuable insights for improving inclusive higher education in the digital age.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030309
Authors: Lorenza Maria Capolla
A key feature of contemporary times is the high degree of complexity that impacts all spheres and aspects of today’s society, particularly within education. This complexity, deriving from a postdigital world in a polycrisis, causes continuous eventualities and results in these conditions of uncertainty. This contribution reviews the present literature on the issues of the unexpected and uncertainty. From the 13 articles included in the review, an attempt is made to define the terms “uncertainty” and “unexpected” in order to scan the management strategies proposed by various authors in diverse fields, highlighting the correlation between uncertainty, the unexpected, and anxiety. Although this review revealed a lack of a universal definition of the “unexpected” and “uncertainty”, the analysis seems to have revealed some common and essential features in various articles and perspectives on the topic. Suggestions drawn from the analysis prove particularly useful in investigating the implications that uncertainty and the unexpected have in education, especially in training future teachers.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030308
Authors: Irene Soto-Fernández Jorge Perez-Perez Sagrario Gómez-Cantarino Fátima Frade Ana Frias Sara Palma Helia Días Vicki Aaberg Elena Castagnaro Daniela Mecugni Raquel Fernández-Cézar
Higher education is key to developing a competent and engaged society. Therefore, holistic learning is a fundamental element. This study aimed to test the validity and reliability of a questionnaire for extracurricular teaching actions in higher education. The questionnaire was delivered online to nursing and teaching students participating in the extracurricular action organized by the universities participating in the EdSeX Project, in all cases worded in English. Reliability was measured through internal consistency provided by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, yielding a value of 0.638 for the 19 items. The internal consistency for each latent variable measured by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.816 for F1 (N = 6) and 0.625 for F2 (N = 3). This means that in the applicable satisfaction questionnaire, the professor interactions and the quality of the organization of the teaching activity of the topic are the most influential elements in the training action. The questionnaire proved to have a good validity and is therefore a reliable instrument to measure the level of higher education students’ satisfaction with learning.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030307
Authors: David Menendez Andrea Marquardt Donovan Olympia N. Mathiaparanam Rebecca E. Klapper Seung Heon Yoo Karl S. Rosengren Martha W. Alibali
Prior work has shown that many undergraduate students have misconceptions about genetic inheritance, even after they take genetics courses. Visual representations, such as pedigree diagrams, are commonly used in genetics instruction, and they help students quickly visualize the phenotypes of multiple generations. In Study 1, we examined whether presenting a pedigree diagram of a wolf’s eye color in a rich and realistic manner (i.e., with rich perceptual images that resemble real animals) or in an abstract manner (i.e., with circles and squares representing animals) would help undergraduates learn from a brief, online lesson on inheritance of the wolf’s eye color, and whether they would transfer what they learned when reasoning about eye color in other species (near transfer) and other traits in other species (mid- and far transfer). Counter to our hypothesis, students transferred more with the rich diagram. In Study 2, we compared the rich diagram from Study 1 to a perceptually bland diagram (i.e., with color and textural features removed). There were no differences in students’ learning or transfer between the diagrams. These results suggest that realistic elements that are attention grabbing and easily interpretable by students can be beneficial for transfer in online lessons.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030306
Authors: María Consuelo Sáiz-Manzanares Raúl Marticorena-Sánchez M. Camino Escolar-Llamazares Rut Velasco-Saiz
Early care professionals have to use instruments for assessing functional skills in children susceptible to early intervention that apply records and produce developmental profiles and personalized intervention proposals. The aims of the study were (1) to analyze the development of functional skills in users with an age range of 48–252 months attending school in a therapeutic intervention center for people with motor impairments; and (2) to analyze the development of functional skills in users with different impairments and ages ranging from 7 to 162 months participating in an early outpatient care program. Study 1 applied a sample of 50 users aged between 48 and 252 months all with motor disabilities and Study 2 included a sample of 71 users aged between 7 and 162 months with different disabilities. Factorial and descriptive–correlational designs were applied in both studies. The Student’s t-test for dependent samples, supervised machine learning techniques (linear regression analysis and logarithmic regression analysis), unsupervised machine learning techniques (k-means), ANOVA, and cross-tabulations were used as contrast tests. In Study 1, no significant changes were found in the development of users’ functional skills, except for a decrease in maladaptive behaviors. Likewise, the chronological age variable did not seem to be a determining factor in the results. In Study 2, significant differences were found in the development of all functional skills between the three measurement time points (initial–intermediate–final). In this group, the type of impairment explained 29% and chronological age 40% of the variance in functional development at the final measurement. This study found that intervention before four years old in outpatient mode produced better results in the acquisition of functional skills, with better results in users affected by rare diseases or communication and language delay at ages 49–60 months.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030305
Authors: Carrie Liu Currier
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, better known as DEI, has transformed higher education. Since its inception in the 1960s, DEI has experienced a series of highs and lows. In response to racial justice activism that emerged in 2020, DEI initiatives started to gain more traction. However, several new challenges threaten the future of DEI. The 2023 Supreme Court ruling striking down the use of affirmative action in admissions, the conservative backlash against Critical Race Theory, and the increase in racially targeted violence have slowed the momentum of DEI initiatives across the country. In addition, certain groups, like Asian Americans, face a unique dilemma in the diversity debates as racial and ethnic minorities that are considered overrepresented in higher education. This essay examines where Asian Americans fit in the diversity debates today and explores what the situation looks like for Asian Americans in higher education when DEI is under attack. It concludes by offering suggestions for making Asian Americans more visible and what institutions should be doing to enhance wellness for minorities on campus.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030304
Authors: Pere Joan Falcó-Solsona Carlos Ledezma Gemma Sala-Sebastià Vicenç Font
Inquiry and modelling are relevant processes of mathematical activity, and both are considered as important competencies for problem solving, since their subprocesses have a family resemblance that makes them mutually complementary and enriched. In this line, we report an investigation focused on the study of the synergies and relationships established between the inquiry and modelling processes emerging in a learning situation, based on a realistic and authentic archaeological context. To this end, we considered one theoretical cycle to explain each process, and then designed a learning situation contextualised in a realistic and authentic archaeological context which promoted the development of inquiry and modelling skills for its solving. Methodologically, we conducted a case study with students in a secondary school of Badalona (Catalonia, Spain), who solved the learning situation grouped into working teams. Through a thematic analysis, we identified the steps of both processes followed by the students when solving the learning situation, and thus we delved into the synergies and relationships established between inquiry and modelling processes. Finally, we reflect on how both processes mutually enrich when dealing with a problem-situation and propose an integrative cycle for the development of inquiry and modelling skills in the classroom.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030303
Authors: Kari Kokka Michelle Cody
Critical educators of Color often work to support their students to work toward justice. However, because we live and work in a society imbued with white supremacy, cisheteropatriarchy, and additional systems of oppression, students and colleagues may resist efforts toward equity and racial justice, especially in mathematics education with women of Color instructors. In this paper, two mathematics educators, a Japanese American woman and a Black woman, elaborate a theory of educational facials, first coined by the second author in 2015. The theory of educational facials is an analytic tool for healing from and navigating harmful school climates. The authors operationalize the theory of educational facials as a lens to investigate examples from their own experiences negotiating unhealthy environments. The article shares descriptions of types of educational facials (e.g., do-it-yourself empowerment educational facial) and concludes with discussion of systemic change to promote healthy, liberatory, justice-oriented school spaces.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030302
Authors: Sarah Younie Sapphire Crosby Charlie Firth Johanna McNicholl Katie Laird
Becoming one of the first studies in the field to do so, specially developed educational interventions (Germ’s Journey) designed to teach children about respiratory tract infection prevention were delivered to 273 pupils aged five to six across five primary schools in the U.K. The intervention aimed to increase understanding of pathogens and respiratory tract illness, transmission and infection prevention, and preparedness for future pandemics due to a lack of such resources for young children at present. To assess the impact of the intervention, children were asked five questions related to knowledge of pathogens, transmission of infection, and infection prevention directly before and after activity-based workshops, as well as one month later. Responses were scored for pupils’ level of knowledge; differences in the frequency of responses between the time points were analysed using Pearson’s chi-squared test. Teachers also took part in semi-structured interviews to evaluate the workshop from the educators’ points of view. Children showed increased knowledge in all three areas immediately after the workshops. This improvement was retained to a lesser or equal extent one month following the learning intervention workshop. The consistent use of teaching resources and interventions such as Germ’s Journey should be implemented in the school curriculum in order to increase understanding and reduce the transmission of respiratory tract illness. Specially designed activity-based workshops using a range of learning skills can help young children to understand the link between pathogens, infection transmission, and control.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030301
Authors: Adewale Magaji Michael Adjani Samuel Coombes
This study investigates whether problem-based learning (PBL) is used in preservice science teachers’ education, how it develops their pedagogical approach, and what they understand about PBL and its implementation in the classroom. The study utilized a systematic review of the related literature in the field of PBL, with a focus on preservice science teachers’ education. It used a specific search strategy to identify the literature following the inclusion and exclusion criteria, adhering to the PRISMA guidance and generating a flow diagram. In addition, the Mixed-Methods Appraisal Tool was used to appraise the quality of the articles. The results show that PBL is not fully utilized in preservice science teachers’ training and just a few relevant articles have been published in this area. The study reveals that PBL is an effective pedagogical approach in teaching and learning and preservice science teachers should be engaged in the process of learning by taking part in the PBL design process and experiencing it in the classroom as students of their instructors to learn from the process. Continuing professional development would help preservice science teachers to develop the knowledge and skills to design and implement PBL in their classrooms.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030300
Authors: Scott A. Lyness
From 2010 to 2015, our school of education used the Performance Assessment for California Teachers (PACT), a summative assessment designed to assess preservice teacher competence. Candidate portfolios were uploaded to an evaluation portal, and trained evaluators assigned a final score of Pass or Fail to the work samples. Three consensus estimates of inter-rater reliability of 181 candidate portfolios that were either double- or triple-scored were computed. Two chance-corrected estimates of inter-rater reliability (Cohen’s kappa and Gwet’s AC1) and percent agreement were computed and calculated within five content areas: elementary math, secondary history/social science, math, science, and English language arts. An initial Pass or Fail score was not more likely to be followed by either a Pass or Fail score given by a subsequent evaluator. Inter-rater reliability was interpreted as being low across all content areas that were examined. None of the percent agreement coefficients attained the minimum standard of 0.700 for consensus agreement. Increasing research access to proprietary double-scored data would lead to an increased understanding of, and perhaps improvement in, teacher performance assessments.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030299
Authors: Till Stefes
Conducting quantitative research involving adolescents demands a thoughtful approach to the question of supervision, given that each option comes with its distinct set of implications. This study reviews these implications and empirically tests whether differences in data quality can be found among three modes of standardized survey research with medium-sized groups of adolescents (12–17 years). The data basis is a quasi-experimental survey study testing different forms of digital, hybrid, or in-person supervision that took place in 2021 in secondary schools in Germany (N = 923). The aim of this study is to test how aspects of data quality—item nonresponse, interview duration, drop-out rate, and response patterns—differ between these forms of supervision. Results could help researchers surveying young people to decide (1) whether they allow confidants or other adults to be present during interviews, (2) if they can rely on teachers alone when surveying classrooms, and (3) if it is cost-efficient to send out external supervisors for classroom sessions. While drop-out rates do not differ, item non-response, interview duration, and response patterns differ significantly; students supervised at home by external interviewers answered more questions, took more time to answer, and were less likely to give potentially meaningless answers in grid questions. The implications drawn from the findings question the common approach of solely relying on teachers for survey administration without the support of external supervisors or adequate training. Recruiting respondents via schools and surveying them online in their homes during school hours has been shown to be a robust method with regard to the analyzed indicators.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030298
Authors: David M. Rehfeld Rachel Renbarger Tracey Sulak Abby Kugler Payton DeMeyer
Structural inequities in graduate education perpetuate inequity for students with historically minoritized identities. This paper reviews previous reports of inequities faced by students with minoritized identities and suggests a path forward for improving equitable access to doctoral study. Specifically, this paper suggests investing in the scholarship of teaching and learning while using Gardner’s model of doctoral student development to provide targeted support at different levels of operation: the institution, the department, and the individual. Evidence for suggested supports is also provided and a call for further research on the effects of such programs for recruitment, retention, and graduation of minoritized students is made.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030297
Authors: Bekithemba Dube Wendy Setlalentoa
In this article, we discuss the experiences of learners who face xenophobia in South Africa. While extensive research has been conducted on xenophobia, few studies have specifically examined its impact on school-going children, whose presence at school is not by design in South Africa. We explore their lived experiences within the curriculum, thus exposing various trajectories that hinder effective teaching and learning. To theorise our findings, we tap into Whitehouse and Lanman’s notion of social cohesion. For data collection, we used a participatory action research approach. Through a series of interviews and group discussions, we engaged with a diverse group of 13 participants, which consisted of 10 migrant learners and 3 teachers. The study found that xenophobia is a significant social pathology in South Africa which found its way into the classroom walls, thereby affecting the performance of migrant learners. It affects the victim’s identity and has profound consequences for the perpetrators. Ultimately, the effects of xenophobia contribute to a cycle of school violence. We assert the imperative of addressing the distressing impact of xenophobia on children within classrooms. Based on our findings, we argue that initial teacher education programmes are key in fostering a non-violent society through promoting cohesion and cultural responsiveness.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030296
Authors: Ke Er Zhang Jodie Jenkinson
Visual representations are essential to scientific research and teaching, playing a role in conceptual understanding, knowledge generation, and the communication of discovery and change. Undergraduate students are expected to interpret, use, and create visual representations so they can make their thinking explicit when engaging in discourse with the scientific community. Despite the importance of visualization in the biosciences, students often learn visualization skills in an ad hoc fashion without a clear framework. We used a mixed-methods sequential explanatory study design to explore and assess the pedagogical needs of undergraduate biology students (n = 53), instructors (n = 13), and teaching assistants (n = 8) in visual science communication education. Key themes were identified using inductive grounded theory methods. We found that extrinsic motivations, namely time, financial resources, and grading practices, contribute to a lack of guidance, support, and structure as well as ambiguous expectations and standards perceived by students and instructors. Biology and science visualization instructors cite visual communication assessments as a way of developing and evaluating students’ higher-order thinking skills in addition to their communication competencies. An output of this research, the development of a learning module, the Visual Science Communication Toolkit, is discussed along with design considerations for developing resources for visual science communication education.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030295
Authors: Saurav Chandra Talukder Zoltán Lakner Ágoston Temesi
Entrepreneurship education (EE) plays a vital role in fostering an entrepreneurial culture and promoting the growth of the small- and medium-sized business sector in a nation. Research on EE has advanced extremely rapidly in the last two decades. These changes are evident not only in the quantity of published works but also in the evolving methods of academic communication, the rise of emerging nations as prominent contributors to EE research, and the shifting areas of focus in study themes. This current study aims to provide a comprehensive picture of these processes based on a big-data-centred bibliometric analysis of a corpus of 3787 articles that appeared in the Web of Science literature database. The bibliographic metadata was analysed using Biblioshiny, CitNetExplorer, and VOSviewer. To understand the most significant development trends, researchers employed the triangulation method, which included scientific mapping and epistemological analysis in addition to standard tools of bibliometric analysis. This has led to the identification of some study needs. First, improving EE methods in secondary school curricula; second, EE in adult education and the practicality of the findings for andragogy; third, EE in least developed countries and its unique challenges; fourth, combining EE with internet-based, innovative training and education approaches like gamification and simulations; fifth, EE’s role and methodological development in societal economic integration; and sixth, women’s unique EE requirements. On top of that, this study provides the basis for policymakers and practitioners to consider incorporating entrepreneurial education programmes, which can help to create a prosperous entrepreneurial ecosystem.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030294
Authors: Mizyed Hyassat Asem Al-Bakar Ahmad Al-Makahleh Nawaf al-Zyoud
(1) Background: It is widely agreed that mutual partnerships between school staff and parents of students are key to creating robust frameworks of inclusive education for students with disabilities. This study explores special education teachers’ perceptions of involving parents of students with disabilities in mainstream schools in Jordan. (2) Methods: This research employs a descriptive quantitative method in the form of a Google-Forms-based online questionnaire with closed-ended questions. (3) Results: The findings indicate that parents were moderately involved in the education of their disabled children; that these parents perceived teachers and school principal to be instrumental in encouraging their involvement in this respect; and that parents face many obstacles to such involvement in their children’s education. (4) Conclusions: The findings point to a need for policymakers to create legislation that enables and mandates the involvement of parents with children with disabilities in inclusive education settings in order to implement constructive models of parental involvement where parents can be treated as equal partners in the educational process.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030293
Authors: Victoria Guentulle Rodolfo Muñoz Miguel Nussbaum Leonardo Madariaga
Learning physics can be seen by many as a problem, as the standard method of learning tends to focus on remembering and using concepts that fail to construct meaning. To overcome this problem in teaching rectilinear motion, we implemented multiple representations using a cyber–physical system that enables interaction between a physical model and the real world. We did so by using a microcomputer system housed inside a ball, including motion and force sensors. This system communicated with the teacher’s laptop in order to display the corresponding data via a projector. The study was conducted with 49 tenth-grade students across five sessions on rectilinear motion. Using a pre- and post-test, we observed that the experimental group performed significantly better than the control group, both in terms of learning as well as in the development of creativity (fluency and flexibility). With guidance from the teacher, the multiple representations allowed the students to improve their learning and creativity by connecting various forms of representation. In other words, the students were able to connect both abstract and concrete views through a real-world, physical experience. Our study reveals the potential of cyber–physical systems within the teaching–learning process for physics, specifically rectilinear motion, and how such a system supports multiple representations.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030292
Authors: Walter C. Lee Teirra K. Holloman David B. Knight Natali Huggins Holly M. Matusovich Julia Brisbane
Graduate education in engineering is an extremely challenging, complex entity that is difficult to change. The purpose of this exploratory research paper was to investigate the applicability of the Collective Impact framework, which has been used within community organizing contexts, to organize the change efforts of a center focused on advancing equitable graduate education within engineering. We sought to understand how the conditions of Collective Impact (i.e., common agenda, backbone organization, mutually reinforcing activities, shared measurement system, and continuous communication) could facilitate the organization of equity-focused change efforts across a college of engineering at a single institution. To achieve this, we took an action research approach. We found the Collective Impact framework to be a useful tool for organizing cross-sectional partnerships to facilitate equity-focused change in graduate education; we also found the five conditions of Collective Impact to be applicable to the higher education context, with some intentional considerations and modifications. Through coordinated efforts, the Collective Impact framework can support the goal of reorienting existing decentralized structures, resource flows, and decision processes to foster bottom-up and top-down change processes to advance equitable support for graduate students.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030291
Authors: Daniel Bores-García Roberto Cano-de-la-Cuerda María Espada Nuria Romero-Parra Diego Fernández-Vázquez José Manuel Delfa-De-La-Morena Víctor Navarro-López Domingo Palacios-Ceña
(1) Background: the scientific literature has shown that students’ active involvement in the teaching–learning process significantly improves their learning outcomes. (2) Methods: this study shows the perceptions of seven researchers on the process of inquiring about the effects of the combined use of virtual reality (VR) and a practice teaching style in physical education in secondary educational institutions. (3) Results: the results obtained from the researchers’ diaries and the focus group, through qualitative design, are arranged in the following categories: difficulties in data collection before, during, and after the intervention; perceived differences between VR interventions in laboratory situations and educational contexts; and the perceived transferability of the use of VR devices in the educational context. (4) Conclusions: more research is needed on the use of VR in the educational context, although the results obtained indicate that the teaching–learning process can be enriched by overcoming the difficulties inherent to the use of this technology in a variable context such as education.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030290
Authors: Norbert Szabó Fanni Földi Tun Zaw Oo Gábor Csizmadia Krisztián Józsa
This study aimed to explore students’ musical genre preferences, exploring variations across gender and age groups in Hungary. Additionally, we investigated the relationships among the popularity of musical genres and connections between musical programs and related activities. With the help of stratified sampling, we examined the opinions of students aged 9–19 about each genre (N = 1159) using specific musical examples. In this study, musical genres were classified into four main types based on related music videos, including classical popular music (CPM), rock music (RM), classical art music (CAM), and folk music (FM). Different types of analyses, such as t-tests, one-way and two-way ANOVAs, and correlational analyses such as correlation coefficients (r), chi-square tests, and eta squares, were employed in this study. The results showed that the popularity of the four pieces of music classified as CPM, RM, CAM, and FM had a moderately strong correlation with each other. The correlations between FM, CPM, and RM did not differ from each other, but they showed significantly weaker correlation values than the correlation between FM and CAM. Moreover, significant differences were found in the students’ perceptions of the genres based on their gender and age groups. Among the four performances, the girls had a greater preference compared to the boys for each one, except for the folk music piece. The youngest age group (9–12) showed the highest preference for the CPM, although the difference compared to the oldest age group (17–19) was not statistically significant. Therefore, this study is beneficial for music education, focusing on students’ genre preferences, including CPM, RM, CAM, and FM.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030289
Authors: Otilia Sanda Bersan Anca Lustrea Simona Sava Oana Bobic
The article addresses the decision-making process of career choice among high-school students and emphasizes the importance of supporting their informed decisions by trained teachers acting as career-guidance counselors. While, ideally, school counselors handle career counseling, their limited availability necessitates the involvement of other resources, such as trained teachers. The present study introduces a career-guidance training program for teachers, implemented with 20 Romanian and 20 Serbian teachers. The research conducted simultaneously with the training aimed to assess the effectiveness of this cross-national program in enhancing teachers’ competence in career guidance. Utilizing a longitudinal mixed methodology, the study assessed the teachers’ perceptions of the training’s effectiveness and sustainability over a period of 24 months. Two questionnaires featuring multiple-choice and open-choice questions were employed. The results consistently indicated that teachers rated the training as excellent or very good across various dimensions, including content, trainers, didactic materials, and applications. Challenges were noted in designing and implementing group career activities compared to individual ones, with no significant differences observed between Serbian and Romanian teachers. After 24 months, a deductive content analysis of open-ended questions assessed the sustainability of acquired competencies. Our findings indicated active teacher participation in career-guidance activities, primarily with final-year students serving as class teachers or subject instructors. In the context of a scarcity of career-counseling specialists, training teachers as career-guidance advisors emerges as a viable solution. The study highlights the potential of such training programs to address the critical need for comprehensive career guidance in schools.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030288
Authors: Olga Kvasova
Teaching and assessing summary writing remains in the focus of research into academic literacy, the issue revisited by every new generation of researchers in the light of the emerging affordances and plurilingual reality. In higher Ukrainian education, where teaching academic skills has gained momentum only in the past 15–20 years, summary writing pertains mostly to teaching Ukrainian to international students, teaching English for professional communication and training post-graduates. A 15-year practice of teaching academic English to students of linguistics has provided the author with extensive empirical data which, upon analysis conducted within action research, have enabled maximized effect on teaching summary writing. Along with the teaching methodology, the assessment technique was also optimized, based on rating scales with the criteria accepted by the students and detailed feedback provided to them via the Google Classroom platform. The comparison of pre-and post-tests of writing summaries of Ukrainian research articles verifies the hypothesis about the transferability of summarization skills built in English to academic L1. The author formulates the limitations of the action research project, implications and prospects of further research.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030287
Authors: Marissa H. Forbes Susan M. Lord Paulina Díaz-Montiel
In the fall of 2022, we offered a pedagogically redesigned sociotechnical environmental engineering elective for junior and senior undergraduates that applied place-based and culturally sustaining pedagogies. The course featured a project designed to facilitate the celebration and leveraging of classroom geographic and cultural diversity to enhance student learning about water sustainability. We analyzed the students’ written project reflections using an inductive thematic analysis to explore whether and how the project and pedagogical model augmented student learning. The primary themes that emerged included: (1) deepened knowledge of home and culture; (2) global conceptualizations; (3) re-evaluation of perceptions and beliefs (in terms of water sustainability and personal relationships with water); and (4) future-facing viewpoints. We consider each of these ‘enhancements’ to the student learning because they extend beyond the course objectives and explore the sociotechnical aspect of engineering. The purpose of this paper is to share the course and project model, our findings from its implementation, and suggestions on how this pedagogical framework could be adapted and scaled to expand the learning of a range of topics at different learner levels.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030286
Authors: Begoña Zarza-Alzugaray Oscar Casanova Francisco Javier Zarza-Alzugaray
Research in music education has shown that musical and academic self-concept, the social component, task achievement, and academic performance are highly interrelated constructs in musical learning in general and instrumental learning in particular in secondary school students. However, no studies in Spain have analyzed the relationship between musical self-concept and the variables of social support and optimism in compulsory secondary education. Therefore, our study aimed to explore the relationships between instrumental musical self-concept, social support, and grounded optimism. We hypothesize that there is a significant relationship between the variables of musical self-concept, social support, and grounded optimism The variables were measured using the Instrumental Musical Self-Concept Scale (IMSCS), an adaptation of the Perceived Social Support Scale in Spanish Conservatory Music Students to the Secondary School Level, and the Grounded Optimism Scale (BEEGC-RA/BEECESA-RA24). The study sample consisted of 980 students enrolled in compulsory secondary education in public and semi-private schools in the autonomous communities of Aragon and Navarra. An analysis of correlations and regressions allowed us to explore and quantify the relationship among the variables under study, confirming the existence of a significant relationship among the variables “instrumental musical self-concept”, “social support” and “grounded optimism”. The present study thus provides more in-depth knowledge of the variables involved in the teaching–learning process of music as a school subject and instrumental music in particular, as well as a greater knowledge of the individual’s performance and motivation in the subject, with various future implications to be taken into account.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030285
Authors: Susan J. Wilbraham Emma Jones Liz Brewster Michael Priestley Emma Broglia Gareth Hughes Leigh Spanner
Independent learning is frequently identified as instrumental to student success within higher education. Although there is a significant body of literature demonstrating the importance of independent learning for retention and progression, to date, the relationship between independent learning and student wellbeing within higher education has been under-explored. This article addresses the gap in the literature by interrogating this relationship, with a particular emphasis on the barriers and enablers to independent learning and the implications for the wellbeing of university students as part of a whole university approach. Drawing on data from a large national student survey and nine focus groups with university staff conducted during the formulation of the University Mental Health Charter, the findings demonstrate important intersectionalities between independent learning and student wellbeing. In particular, they highlight that facilitating independent learning has the potential to allow students to flourish in higher education but only when factors relating to accessibility, inclusivity, expectations, and goals are explicitly addressed. Going forward, it is imperative that these links are more widely acknowledged and addressed within higher education research, policy, and practice to ensure that students are supported to develop as learners during both their transition into university and their journey through and beyond their studies.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030284
Authors: Björn B. de Koning
The self-management principle holds that higher learning performance is obtained when learners actively use instructional strategies to manage the working memory load imposed by a learning task. Self-management studies with spatially separated but mutually referring text and pictures (split-attention examples) demonstrate the learning benefits of physical (e.g., annotation) and mental (imagined drag-and-drop) strategies. We investigated whether combining physical and mental strategies supports learning beyond a single strategy. Eighty-four participants studied a split-attention example with or without using a physical strategy and/or a mental strategy. Participants completed retention, comprehension, and transfer tests, and rated their cognitive load. Results showed that the combined use of physical and mental strategies resulted in lower cognitive load during learning than using the physical strategy and was more instructionally efficient compared to all other conditions. There were no significant differences regarding learning outcomes. Together, this suggests that combining physical and mental strategies is most supportive for studying split-attention examples.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030283
Authors: David Pérez-Jorge Ana Isabel González-Herrera Isabel Alonso-Rodríguez María del Carmen Rodríguez-Jiménez
This study intends to explore the challenges and opportunities in inclusive education using Information and Technologies (ICTs) during the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of teachers based in the Canary Islands. It focuses on the digital division and the implications involved while examining the impact of health on students with special needs (SEN) and Specific Educational Support Needs (SENS). For this research, a validated questionnaire was used to assess educators’ perceptions and attitudes toward the use of ICT in inclusive education practices. It reveals insights into the need for enhanced ICT training, age and gender disparities perceived in ICT proficiency, and the essential role of continuous professional development for teachers. The study highlights the importance of developing inclusive and comprehensive training strategies, as well as the need for educational institutions to provide effective digital resources and platforms. The findings show that students perceive both their ICT skills and the effectiveness of remote teaching methods as moderate, thus emphasizing the necessity for strategic interventions and collaborative efforts to enhance digital competencies in this educational sector.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030282
Authors: Kenjus T. Watson Tiffani Marie Ersie-Anastasia Gentzis Dante Dixson
This paper critically examines American schooling systems, challenges their subtractive nature, and juxtaposes it with the culturally sustaining potential of education. We problematize the current tools for evaluating trauma and stress in young people of color and emphasize the need for a comprehensive understanding of indigenous medicines as a remedy. Drawing on interdisciplinary theories, we elucidate the pervasive and evolving nature of anti-blackness, reinforcing the sociohistorical structure of inequity within schools. As a response, this study presents a unique wellness survey (comprising two newly validated wellness scales) developed from a previous four-year longitudinal study investigating the relationship between culturally relevant teaching practices and improved health outcomes for children. We found a strong correlation between exposure to our culturally relevant intervention and several health indicators. Particularly, sustained telomere growth (protection of cells) was observed in over 90% of the participants in the intervention group, indicating a potential biological mechanism through which culturally informed interventions might contribute to improved health outcomes. We use these findings to argue that proactive measures centered on cultural and community contexts can serve as crucial protective factors, thereby potentially mitigating negative health outcomes related to racialized stress.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030281
Authors: Lea C. Brandl Andreas Schrader
The digital transformation associated with the Fourth Industrial Revolution is having an impact on the way we teach. Under the term Education 4.0, new teaching methods, new technologies, as well as a student-centered approach, are expected to be used in teaching. One established method of teaching is the use of Serious Games, as it has various positive effects in terms of motivation and engagement. This paper deals with the question of how the transformation towards Education 4.0 influences the way Serious Games are designed and used in the context of higher education. To this end, a systematized literature review was conducted. Out of 550 publications, 28 were included. This revealed works on the general conception as well as studies on Serious Games in various areas of university teaching. The results show different concepts of Serious Games, with the structure often being adapted to learning content and not to students. In terms of technical implementation, Serious Games are mostly web- or desktop-applications instead of new technologies such as VR. As a result, new concepts seem necessary to adapt Serious Games to Education 4.0. In the future, we want to design Serious Games that respond flexibly to students’ needs and make it easy to integrate new technologies.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030280
Authors: Kristy M. Palmer Mark A. Perkins Timothy F. Slater
It is often causally generalized that females naturally excel more at writing than males. Contrastingly, modern conventional wisdom similarly purports that males often innately excel more at science. True or not, both generalizations overlook important gender differences at the intersection of writing in science. This quantitative study investigates undergraduate life science majors’ attitudes to and perceptions of writing lab reports for 294 students who self-identify as either female or male. We used exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to develop a three-factor scale and provide reliability and validity on several related constructs: confidence, sense of belonging, and persistence as a life science major. Our results indicate males self-report as being significantly more confident at writing lab reports (F (1, 292) = 186.08, p < 0.05) than females. With regard to writing lab reports, no significant differences were found between genders in the constructs of belongingness (F (1, 292) = 1.64, p = 0.20) and persistence as a life science major (F (1, 292) = 0.66, p = 0.42). Understanding attitudes and perceptions toward writing lab reports through an equity lens provides information to help science majors be successful. Our findings add to the literature on gender, equity, and science writing, motivating further exploration into underlying malleable cognitive mechanisms.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030279
Authors: Godfrey Nkululeko Mazibuko Aneshkumar Maharaj
This study developed a mathematical evaluation model, attempting to evaluate the capability of the curriculum (N1 to N2 mathematics) to equip students with higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Colleges. The data set was collected at eMnambithi TVET College during March 2022 and October 2022. The two most crucial elements contributing to students attaining HOTS during teaching and learning are the lecturer’s content delivery ability and the curriculum. In that regard, this study began by partially evaluating the lecturer’s content delivery ability using students’ perspectives through a questionnaire. It was found that N1 and N2 mathematics lecturers’ content delivery abilities from the perspective of the students might be adequate. That left the curriculum as the only major contributing factor in a case where students were found to have poor HOTS at eMnambithi TVET College. Then, the SVHIR model (susceptible S(t), vaccinated V(t), healthy H(t), infected I(t), and recovered R(t)) was successfully developed to attempt the evaluation of students’ HOTS. The model indicated poor HOTS in students at eMnambithi TVET College. That ultimately meant that the curriculum might be incapable of equipping students with HOTS, since the lecturers’ content delivery abilities were deemed to be adequate by the participants of this study.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030278
Authors: Ana-Maria Purcar Mușata Bocoș Alexandra-Lucia Pop Alina Roman Dana Rad Daniel Mara Claudia Crișan Ramona Răduț-Taciu Elena-Lucia Mara Ioana Todor Letiția Muntean-Trif Mihaela-Gabriela Neacșu Corina Costache Colareza Monica Maier Liana Tăușan-Crișan Zorica Triff Ciprian Baciu Diana-Crina Marin Dorin-Gheorghe Triff
First-grade students often encounter challenges in understanding and solving arithmetic word problems due to their limited reading comprehension abilities. Despite these difficulties, students may employ arbitrary strategies, such as combining numbers based on specific keywords, even if they lack a full understanding of the problems. Research suggests that effective mathematical reasoning involves the use of visual mental representations during the problem-solving process. To address this, some studies have explored methods to enhance students’ comprehension of word problems. Building on this, the current study explores the impact of first-grade pupils creating visual representations of problem situations on their comprehension and the number of correct solutions. In a typical math class, 45 first graders received a paper-and-pencil task, and, in a visual context, they solved similar problems after reading and illustrating the situation. The findings reveal that while most participants correctly represented the problem situations through drawing, about half struggled to determine the numeric solutions. Nevertheless, the visual context led to an increase in the number of correct problem solutions compared to the normal context, suggesting the potential benefits of incorporating visual representations in enhancing comprehension and problem-solving skills.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030277
Authors: Baraa Rayan Abeer Watted
The integration of technology in educational settings has gained popularity, aiming to enhance student engagement and motivation. Kahoot! digital tool activities have emerged as a favored choice for creating dynamic and captivating learning environments. This study investigates the impact of incorporating Kahoot! on students’ learning outcomes and motivation to learn science. The research utilized a quantitative methodology, collecting data through pre- and post-questionnaires administered to both experimental (N = 53) and control groups (N = 56). This study identified that integrating Kahoot! activities led to a significant improvement in students’ grasp of scientific concepts and principles. Moreover, a noteworthy increase in self-efficacy, interest, and enjoyment levels was observed among students in the experimental groups. This indicates that Kahoot! activities not only enhance students’ understanding of scientific concepts but also amplify their motivation to engage with the subject matter. This study also explored potential demographic variables that could influence these outcomes. Notably, the findings suggest that grade level plays a role in students’ motivation to learn science. In conclusion, this study underscores the potential of Kahoot! activities to positively influence students’ science learning experiences, emphasizing the importance of cultivating dynamic and captivating learning environments.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030276
Authors: Yu-Chun Kuo Yu-Tung Kuo Hungwei Tseng
The features of open educational resources (OERs) have the potential of enhancing teaching effectiveness and student learning experiences in K-12 education. Encouraging K-12 teachers to use OERs requires an understanding of the factors that have an influence on teachers’ decisions to adopt or use OERs in their teaching. In this regard, this study explored the factors related to how teachers perceived their use of OERs, including the perceived ease of use of OERs, perceived usefulness of OERs, intention to adopt OERs, attitudes, OER self-efficacy, and so on. The relationships of several proposed factors were explored. The participants were teachers from a university in the northeastern United States. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were applied to analyze the collected data. The results indicated that teachers’ perceptions of using OERs were positive overall. Their perceived ease of use and usefulness were two significant predictors of teachers’ adoption of OERs. Other factors that addressed teachers’ willingness and challenges with the use of OER were re-ported and discussed.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030275
Authors: Lejla Jelovica Nataša Erceg Vanes Mešić Ivica Aviani
Solid-state physics has important applications in the development of modern technologies. Although solid-state concepts, such as electric and thermal conductivity, are included in the curricula at all educational levels, even university students have many incorrect ideas about them. The incorrect ideas identified in previous studies are mainly related to macroscopic aspects of solid-state physics. With the aim of gaining a more comprehensive insight into students’ understanding of solid-state physics, we have developed a multiple-choice concept inventory on microscopic models of electric and thermal conductivity of solids (METCS). The inventory has been field-tested with a sample consisting of 233 first-year medical faculty and engineering students from the University of Rijeka (Croatia). METCS proved to have good psychometric features and it helped to uncover many incorrect ideas that have not been reported in the earlier physics education literature. The findings from this study could be a good starting point for the development of evidence-based, university-level tutorials on microscopic models of electric and thermal conductivity.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030274
Authors: Steve Humble Pauline Dixon Louise Gittins Chris Counihan
This paper investigates the linguistic interdependence of Grade 3 children studying in government primary schools in northern Nigeria who are learning to read in Hausa (L1) and English (L2) simultaneously. There are few studies in the African context that consider linguistic interdependence and the bidirectional influences of literacy skills in multilingual contexts. A total of 2328 Grade 3 children were tested on their Hausa and English letter sound knowledge (phonemes) and reading decoding skills (word) after participating in a two-year English structured reading intervention programme as part of their school day. In Grade 4, these children will become English immersion learners, with English becoming the medium of instruction. Carrying out bivariate correlations, we find a large and strongly positively significant correlation between L1 and L2 test scores. Concerning bidirectionality, a feedback path model illustrates that the L1 word score predicts the L2 word score and vice versa. Multi-level modelling is then used to consider the variation in test scores. Almost two thirds of the variation in the word score is attributable to the pupil level and one third to the school level. The Hausa word score is significantly predicted through Hausa sound and English word score. English word score is significantly predicted through Hausa word and English sound score. The findings have implications for language policy and classroom instruction, showing the importance of cross-language transfer between reading skills. The overall results support bidirectionality and linguistic interdependence.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030273
Authors: Christine Tørris
Background: The knowledge of sex and gender differences in disease are crucial for nursing students. Methods: This quasi-experimental study assesses nursing students’ motivation, awareness, and knowledge related to women’s health before and after a pathology course for first-year nursing students, using a pre–posttest design (pretest: n = 312, posttest: n = 156). Results: More than 90% of students were motivated to learn about sex and gender differences in pathology. Awareness increased significantly for the following topics: cardiovascular disease (CVD), osteoporosis, and breast cancer (BC). The knowledge level was low for CVD and high for BC, where the knowledge level increased significantly for BC. Having another first language predicted CVD (B −2.123, 95% CI −3.21 to −1.03) and osteoporosis (B −0.684, 95% CI −0.98 to −0.39) knowledge negatively, while age group (≥21 years) predicted menstruation (B 0.179, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.33) and BC (B 0.591, 95% CI 0.19 to 1.00) knowledge positively, in the total sample (pre- and postdata, n = 468). Conclusion: There is a lack of pathology knowledge among nursing students, especially related to CVD and symptoms of heart attacks in women. To ensure equality in health for women, these perspectives should be systematically integrated into the nursing students’ curriculum in the future.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030272
Authors: Dianna Gielstra Lynn Moorman Jacquelyn Kelly Uwe Schulze Lynn M. Resler Niccole V. Cerveny Johan Gielstra Ami Bryant Scott Ramsey David R. Butler
Virtual field trips in physical geography transcend our human limitations regarding distance and accessibility, allowing students to experience exemplars of physical environments. These experiences can be critical for students to connect to the physical world beyond traditional classroom formats of communicating themes and features in physical geography. To maximize the learning potential of these experiences, designers must engage in a translational process to take resources and content from the physical world and migrate it to an online, virtual format. However, these virtual learning experiences need to account for how learners learn; and should draw heavily on the foundations of educational research and field sciences, while highlighting the awe and beauty of the natural landscape itself. Crafting these spatial stories of the natural world with learning elements requires careful and intentional design to maximize the perception of physical features, patterns, and processes at the landscape scale. To help field-trip developers comprehend the workflows used to create perceptible, rich environments that spur students’ learning, we propose a development process (TECCUPD) as a guide to navigate the intersection of education and science, using an example of geodiversity and alpine glacial landscapes found in Glacier National Park, Montana.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030271
Authors: Molly O’Dea Amy Cosby Jaime K. Manning Nicole McDonald Bobby Harreveld
The Australian Government has prioritized science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in recent years to ensure that the country has an adequate future workforce. The agriculture industry is a major employer with a diverse range of occupations heavily focused on STEM. Many students do not realize the career opportunities in the sector, which is currently facing severe workforce shortages. Industry school partnerships (ISPs) have been identified as one creative model to improve students’ knowledge of an industry and aspirations for associated careers. Whilst ISPs have been implemented in the STEM context, limited research understands how industry organizations are involved in, influence, and interconnect with ISPs. Australia’s Rural Research and Development Corporations (RRDCs) are legislated agricultural industry bodies and were selected to investigate due to the value ISPs could provide to this STEM-focused industry with workforce shortages. This qualitative case study analyzed data from the most current RRDC strategic and annual operating plans as of 27 July 2023 and semi-structured interviews with an employee(s) in a position relevant to student education of all 15 RRDCs in 2022. The key findings were that ISPs were considered part of the solution to address industry sustainability, though RRDCs were commonly only informally involved. Collaboration between industry partners, facilitators, and teachers at strategic and management levels and across commodities was essential. RRDCs were found to be strongly connected to ISP ecosystems through their role in research and development. We argue that RRDCs are positioned as essential stakeholders with the scope to improve agricultural ISP ecosystems as part of their role in driving agricultural innovation. These findings support the application of ecological systems theory to agricultural ISPs and help us to understand these structures. This paper aims to help those creating ISPs to consider and understand all stakeholders, including industry bodies, to deliver quality future partnerships that benefit both STEM sectors and primary and secondary student education.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030270
Authors: Junko Yamashita Kunihiro Kusanagi
Growing attention has been devoted to the contribution of morphological knowledge to reading comprehension. Because of the complex nature of morphological knowledge, more fine-grained approaches are sought on this topic by exploring multiple aspects of morphological knowledge and multiple pathways through which each aspect contributes to reading comprehension. This study measured three aspects of affix knowledge (form, meaning, and use) and vocabulary breadth and examined how each aspect contributes to EFL (English as a foreign language) reading comprehension by modeling direct and indirect effects with vocabulary as a mediator. The participants were 211 Japanese university students. All variables were measured using standardized tests. Direct effects of meaning, use, and vocabulary and indirect effects of meaning and use via vocabulary were significant. However, form displayed no significant effect. The lack of significant effects for form may be due to the design of this study, which did not include word reading (a variable that may mediate form’s effect). In sum, although the form aspect did not show any effect, semantic and syntactic aspects demonstrated direct and indirect contributions. Overall, this study endorsed the criticality of a more fine-grained approach, shedding light on what and how morphological knowledge supports L2 reading comprehension.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030269
Authors: Gene Fellner Mark Comesañas Tahjuan Ferrell
This research essay challenges educators to embrace mutual recognition when interacting with students. Our data are the words of the young people who participated with us in one particular undergraduate class on school discipline at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey, in the United States in the fall of 2022. Tahjuan, who had been our student in the 7th grade in 2011, co-taught the class with us. In writing this essay and in teaching the class, we were inspired by a short passage from Ta-Nehisi Coates about the shackling young people of color endure and another, by bell hooks, that proposes mutual recognition as a teaching practice that can loosen those shackles. Most saliently, this essay is inspired by the youth we work with who, without reading either Coates or hooks, embody Coates’ experience and hooks’ wisdom. Though we invited and compensated these particular youth to join us in the class as co-teachers and participants, we believe they are broadly representative of the adolescent students we have worked with over the last 15 years in Newark. All the young people quoted in this article have reviewed what we have written and approved its publication. Tahjuan has agreed to include his name as a co-author.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030268
Authors: Ines Alves Annie Christodoulidis Jeff Carpenter Victoria Maria Hogg
This article focuses on the use of a practitioner enquiry (PE) course to develop teacher education for inclusion, particularly when referring to continuous professional development (CPD). The article aims to answer the following research questions: How does this PE course compared to other experiences of CPD? To what extent is this model of CPD a way of promoting teacher education for inclusion? The data presented in this article were generated by three student-practitioners and a course tutor who engaged in a practitioner enquiry course offered in a higher education institution in Scotland during the academic year 2022–2023. Data were generated through autoethnography, and all authors individually reflected on their experiences of CPD, namely this PE course. The data were then analysed through a thematic analysis process that combined individual and collaborative tasks, including the writing of this article. This article concludes that long-term CPD with a constructivist alignment allows student-practitioners to develop their agency as inclusive educators. Engagement with research, both by critically analysing ‘global’ academic research and by designing and implementing a ‘local’ PE, provides lifelong tools for teachers to identify and remove barriers to ensuring that all learners can access, participate, and succeed in education.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030267
Authors: Simone Digennaro Angela Visocchi
The virtual reality era has ushered in significant changes in the identity formation process of children and young individuals. This exploratory research intervention investigates the correlation between social media use and its potential influence on body image development in 9- to 10-year-old children. This study employs a qualitative research-intervention design comprising three phases: focus group discussions, the implementation of an educational intervention, and post-intervention assessments. The research was conducted with 50 children attending a primary school in Cassino, Italy. The findings underscore the importance of nurturing a positive body image from early childhood. This entails emphasising the development of various vital elements within the construct of body literacy, including body awareness, body interception, body perception, and body comprehension. Educators play a critical role in empowering children to foster a healthy body image by adopting an educational approach rooted in the principles of body literacy. The school environment emerges as an ideal setting for promoting body literacy, thus contributing to children’s holistic development and well-being in an age dominated by virtual reality and social media influences.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030266
Authors: Rasdiana Bambang Budi Wiyono Ali Imron Lailatul Rahma Nur Arifah Reza Azhari Elfira Irvine Sibula Muh. Asrandy Maharmawan
The educational landscape has been significantly influenced by the rapid development of technology, especially in the instructional process. Examining teachers’ professional digital competence (TPDC) in Indonesia, a developing country, is of utmost importance. It is vital to comprehend the extent of professional digital competence among teachers to identify potential gaps and areas for improvement through training programs. This investigation aims to shed light on disparities and formulate strategies to bridge the digital divide. In this context, the principal’s instructional e-supervision (PIS) and technology leadership (PTL) play a pivotal role in nurturing a school’s digital culture (SDC). This culture is crucial for ensuring the effectiveness of the collaborative learning process that meets the needs of students in this digital-savvy era. Therefore, this study delves into the structural impact of PIS and PTL on TPDC mediated by SDC. Quantitative methods were employed to address research hypotheses through structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis with AMOS, utilizing inner and outer model techniques. Carried out in seven senior high schools in Indonesia, the research involved 257 productive teachers randomly selected from a population of 450. The findings revealed that PIS directly influences TPDC, albeit with the most negligible coefficient (0.192). Simultaneously, PTL directly impacts SDC (0.663) and TPDC (0.229). Moreover, SDC significantly influences TPDC (0.816). However, the direct coefficient of PTL has a more substantial impact on SDC than on TPDC. Consequently, the structural model suggests that PTL will profoundly influence TPDC when mediated by SDC (0.541). In light of these results, this study recommends the application of principal technology leadership-based humbleness for future research.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030265
Authors: María Jesús Santos-Villalba Juan José Leiva-Olivencia José Luis González-Sodis María José Alcalá del Olmo-Fernández
The COVID-19 pandemic had various effects on the social, personal and educational spheres that made it necessary to rethink how to respond to new emerging needs. In Spain, a massive closure of schools occurred, which led to a transition from face-to-face teaching to emergency remote teaching. This led to the implementation of pedagogical measures to ensure continuity in the teaching process. The aim of this research is to explore the impact of the pandemic on the educational and personal trajectories of students from their own experiences of attending a poorly performing school in the province of Malaga (Spain). The methodology was qualitative, and the information was collected through a focus group. The most relevant results indicated that the students, in response to the pandemic situation, developed resilience strategies to cope with the lack of technological devices, connectivity problems, difficulties in managing their emotions and the absence of interactions with their peer groups. The main conclusions include the need to build resilient and inclusive educational spaces as key pillars for educational transformation.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030264
Authors: Anna Henne Sabrina Syskowski Manuel Krug Philipp Möhrke Lars-Jochen Thoms Johannes Huwer
Augmented reality (AR) is vital in education for enhancing learning and motivation through interactive environments and experiments. This requires teacher training in AR creation and integration. Research indicates that learning effectiveness relies on thorough preparation, calling for the development of scoring rubrics for evaluating both educational AR and AR’s educational integration. However, no current studies provide such a rubric for assessing AR’s pedagogical implementation. Hence, a scoring rubric, EVAR (Evaluating Augmented Reality in Education), was developed based on the framework for the analysis and development of augmented reality in science and engineering teaching by Czok and colleagues, and extended with core concepts of instructional design and lesson organization, featuring 18 items in five subscales rated on a four-point Likert scale. To evaluate the validity and reliability of the scoring rubric, AR learning scenarios, designed by eleven master’s seminar pre-service teacher students at the University of Konstanz, majoring in biology, chemistry, or physics, were assessed by five AR experts using the newly developed scoring rubric. The results reveal that a simple classification of AR characteristics is insufficient for evaluating its pedagogical quality in learning scenarios. Instead, the newly developed scoring rubric for evaluating AR in educational settings showed high inter-rater reliability and can discriminate between different groups according to the educational quality of the AR and the implementation of AR into lesson planning.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030262
Authors: Maria-Jesus Inostroza Cristhian Perez-Villalobos Pia Tabalí
This study aims to identify motivational and attitude variables among Chilean young English learners from Concepción. A child-appropriate Likert scale questionnaire was distributed to 137 students from the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade of two state-run primary schools. The instrument considered five variables: attitude towards English, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, Ideal L2 Self, and parent-oriented motivation, because the eclectic nature of early language learning has been shown to be influenced by these factors. The variables for teacher profile considered years of teaching experience, training in primary English language teaching, and access to multisensory and audio-visual materials. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to determine the internal consistency of the instrument. The Mann–Whitney U test and the Kruskal–Wallis H-test using Dunn’s post hoc contrast were used to compare the motivations and attitudes by gender, teacher profile, and grade. Spearman’s rho correlation coefficient was then used to identify the relationship between the target variables and the teacher profile. Results show that teacher profile is a key factor in motivation and attitude to learning English, particularly their access to multisensory and audio-visual materials. This study’s main novelty is that it is the first time a questionnaire focused on children’s attitudes and motivations has been applied in Chile, with clear implications for teacher education and policy implementation assessment.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030263
Authors: Erin Dysart Aimee Code
The WellComm toolkit is used across many areas of the UK to identify and support early years children with their speech, language and communication. There is some evidence for positive outcomes for children who are assessed and supported using the toolkit. However, wider implications of implementing the toolkit have not been fully investigated. This study aimed to explore the impact of implementing the WellComm toolkit on practitioners, practically and for their knowledge and skills. An additional aim was to reflect on the impact this may have on evaluation research. Early years practitioners (EYPs) in the UK completed an online survey asking about their experiences of using the WellComm toolkit, and a sub-sample participated in interviews. Survey and interview respondents spanned different early years settings. Practitioners described positive ways in which using the WellComm toolkit had impacted their knowledge of speech, language and communication, supported improvements in practice, and the quality and specificity of speech and language referrals. Negative implications, such as time costs and staffing burdens, were also discussed but were found not to outweigh the benefits of use. The positive implications of using the WellComm toolkit on practitioners’ own development and knowledge are likely to support the outcomes of children, though the usefulness of the WellComm toolkit for children who speak English as an additional language (EAL) and children with special educational needs (SEND) is questioned. Such findings have implications for the work of evaluation researchers, who need to be sensitive to the use of such toolkits in settings where interventions are being evaluated.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030261
Authors: Abel Ponce-Delgado Rasa Pocevičienė Rainer Rubira-García
This study has the aim of providing a theoretical–methodological strategy for the design and implementation of educational programs that favor the development of children’s creative potential in the context of museums as cultural institutions. It was carried out in two schools with the collaboration of the National Museum of Natural Sciences and the Royal Botanical Garden in Madrid, Spain, during an entire academic year. The emphasis of the procedure is based on multi-stakeholder participation and a multidisciplinary approach through workshops based on a collaborative methodology that promotes communication between the school as an institution, the teachers, and the museum facilitators, during the various phases of the intervention. The work with the children is supported by the creative problem-solving (CPS) methodology through the development of workshops in the museums, where the children were able to be the protagonists and manage their own learning process. The obtained results show the relevance of assuming a set of methodological principles and resources that can be replicated in future intervention programs, among which the school–museum collaborative communication, creative problem solving, the use of activity records, and the role of games and fantasy as mediators in the stimulation of creativity stand out.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030260
Authors: Paola Giannoni Mauro Palumbo Valeria Pandolfini Claudio Torrigiani
The school-to-work alternance responds to the critical issues linked to the mismatch between school learning and labour market needs, aiming to enhance adolescents’ employability. However, recent studies have shown that in Italy, school-to-work transition pathways are diversified at the territorial level, reflecting regional disparities in opportunities that risk increasing inequalities. In this regard, this paper presents the main evidence emerging from an analysis on multilevel governance of the Pathways for Transversal Skills and Orientation (PCTOs), which are mandatory for Italian students in their last three years of upper secondary schooling. This focus is part of the national research project “Evaluating the School-Work Alternance: a longitudinal study in Italian upper secondary schools”, that aims to evaluate this policy. This part of the study, conducted through semi-structured qualitative interviews at the national, regional, and local level with stakeholders of public institutions, has examined PCTO implementation strategies, pointing out the transition mechanisms between the school and labour market, as well as roles, activities, and way of coordination between public and private sectors. The different perspectives that emerged underline the complexity of establishing networks that relate central and local governance in education systems. The results of the analysis provide a dynamic portrait of the PCTO in Italy, identifying relevant aspects that could enhance future planning or implementation of this policy.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030259
Authors: Monica Quezada Barrera Hannah L. Reyes Antonio Duran Jeanett Castellanos Jonathan J. O’Brien
Through a Chicana/Latina Feminist lens centering ways of knowing, we highlight how Latina abuelas and mothers often serve as unofficial teachers in their grand/daughter’s educational trajectories. Specifically, through dichos and consejos, these Latina maternal figures impart the knowledge necessary to navigate incongruent educational spaces and persist.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030258
Authors: Fabrizio Schiavo Lucia Campitiello Michele Domenico Todino Pio Alfredo Di Tore
Technology has always represented the key to human progress. It is believed that the use of supportive technological mediators can facilitate teaching/learning processes and enable everyone to learn how to critically manage technology without being its slave or passive user while contributing to the collective well-being. Educational robotics is a new frontier for learning that can offer numerous benefits to students. The use of robots can offer the possibility of creating inclusive educational settings in which all students, regardless of their abilities or disabilities, can participate meaningfully. The article proposes an analysis of the evidence obtained from a systematic literature review with reference to general educational robotics and social robotics for emotion recognition. Finally, as a practical implementation of an educational robotic intervention on emotion recognition, the “Emorobot Project” as part of the EU-funded “Ecosystem of Innovation—Technopole of Rome” Project in NextGenerationEU will be presented. The project’s aim is to foster the development of social skills in children with autism spectrum disorders through the creation of an open-source social robot that can recognize emotions. The project is intended to provide teachers with a supportive tool that allows them to design individual activities and later extend the activity to classmates. An educational robot can be used as a social mediator, a playmate during the learning phase that can help students develop social skills, build peer connection, reduce social isolation—one of the main difficulties of this disorder—and foster motivation and the acquisition of interpersonal skills through interaction and imitation. This can help ensure that all students have access to quality education and that no one is left behind.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030257
Authors: Adina Câmpean Mușata Bocoș Alina Roman Dana Rad Claudia Crișan Monica Maier Liana Tăușan-Crișan Zorica Triff Dorin-Gheorghe Triff Daniel Mara Elena-Lucia Mara Ramona Răduț-Taciu Ioana Todor Ciprian Baciu Mihaela-Gabriela Neacșu Ioana Dumitru Corina Costache Colareza Claudia Elena Roman
This study investigates the influence of positive feedback on students’ motivation and engagement in the classroom. It explores teachers’ perspectives on how positive feedback affects students’ learning involvement and motivation. The research focuses on various aspects of feedback delivery, particularly emphasizing the nuances of positive feedback. The main objective is to determine if there is a statistically significant correlation between the provision of positive feedback during educational activities and students’ motivation levels. The study underscores the crucial role of feedback in shaping student motivation and stresses the significance of positive feedback in creating an inclusive and supportive learning environment. The research question revolves around understanding how positive feedback influences students’ motivation and involvement in the classroom. The study employs qualitative methods, including interviews and surveys, to gather teachers’ perceptions and experiences regarding positive feedback practices. The results reveal that teachers perceive positive feedback as a powerful tool for enhancing students’ motivation and engagement in learning activities. In conclusion, this research underscores the importance of incorporating positive feedback strategies in educational settings to foster a supportive and motivating learning environment for students.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030256
Authors: Xiaolu Wang Chiew Hwa Poon Ku Wing Cheong
Career choice has received significant attention in recent years, with research indicating a strong correlation between individual intrinsic motivations and career decisions. This study investigated the intrinsic factors influencing music graduates’ decisions to pursue a professional career in music in Fujian, China, using the Exploratory Design research method. This research design involved two phases. In phase one, the influencing factors were explored through interviews seeking to obtain qualitative information (N = 18). In phase two, the codes derived from the qualitative study were utilized to build a Likert scale for the quantitative questionnaire (N = 221). The qualitative results revealed that music graduates’ professional career choices were intrinsically influenced by their commitment to the music profession, sense of self-worth derived from successful performing and teaching experiences, self-purpose in sharing and teaching music, interest in music playing and music teaching, confidence in music-playing skills, and working relationship between teacher and student. These variables were confirmed by the quantitative study to have an impact on career choice. Commitment to the music profession was the most influential variable, followed by a sense of self-worth. Confidence in music-playing skills was the least influential variable. These findings deepen our understanding of the variables impacting music majors’ job choices. Understanding these determinants can help educational institutions, policymakers, and career counselors better understand music majors’ particular needs and concerns, leading to more supportive career pathways for aspiring musicians in the region.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030255
Authors: Gilberto Huesca Adriana Rodríguez-Rosales Vianney Lara-Prieto Maria Ileana Ruiz-Cantisani Joaquín Acevedo
Active learning strategies are widely studied, but perspective on their effectiveness in complete undergraduate studies or about their contribution to closing the gender gap are still required. Challenge-based learning has been around for more than a decade. However, results have been collected in limited time and application environments, for example, one semester or one activity in a course. In this work, we present a quantitative study that was applied to results of the National Center for the Evaluation of Higher Education’s Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Standardized General Examination of 4226 students comparing those who received a traditional educational model and those who received a challenge-based learning educational model. A statistical analysis of communication and disciplinary competencies found that the traditional educational model induces a greater marginal significant result in the test. Additionally, we found that female students perform better in communication competencies while male students perform better in disciplinary competencies. Our results confirm that challenge-based learning is as effective as a traditional educational model when applied during complete undergraduate studies while developing competencies like critical thinking, long-term retention, leadership, multidisciplinary teamwork, and decision-making. Challenge based learning is a prolific learning strategy for evolving into a new way of teaching in undergraduate programs.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030254
Authors: Ángela Novoa-Echaurren
This article discusses a case study on teacher agency about the pedagogical uses of information and communication technologies (ICTs). The investigation explored a school ecosystem that has developed a model of reflexive practice aimed at promoting teacher agency from a holistic and relational perspective. The primary case comprised six sub-cases using ICTs with students and deliberated on these uses by applying the reflexive model promoted within the school boundaries. Data were analyzed thematically. Observations of teaching practices with ICTs, reflexive practice sessions on ICT uses, and interviews with the heads of departments of the observed teachers yielded the relevance of collaborative agency in the context of the digital age as it brings together policy, theory, and practice. In line with the claims of relevant literature, the study shows that an articulated dialogue between these dimensions is relevant for using technologies in education according to the specificities of teachers’ institutional ecosystem.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030253
Authors: Rafat Ghanamah
The constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic may have adverse effects on the health behaviors of children and adolescents, particularly those with neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study aimed to examine changes in health-related behaviors, including physical activity, screen time, and sleep duration, among children with ASD and their adherence to the 24-h movement guidelines during the pandemic. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted with 46 Arab Israeli mothers of children diagnosed with ASD. According to the responses provided by the mothers, the findings indicate a noteworthy reduction in physical activity, a marked rise in screen time, and a considerable increase in sleep duration amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, there was a decline in the portion of the sample complying with physical activity and screen time recommendations, coupled with an increase in the percentage of children meeting sleep duration guidelines. The prevalence of ASD children adhering to the overall 24-h movement guidelines was notably low during the COVID-19 outbreak. These findings contribute to the growing body of literature indicating adverse effects of the coronavirus pandemic on individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders, emphasizing the urgent necessity for healthcare, interventions, and programs tailored to ASD children.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030252
Authors: Lourdes Villalustre Marisol Cueli Daniel Zarzuelo
Creativity has been studied in relation to academic performance, usually from the perspective of the creative result, with fewer studies focusing on the creative process and the student’s awareness of that process, known as meta-creativity. This study aimed to analyze differences in meta-creativity based on academic performance groups (high or low) and determine the predictive power of meta-creativity belonging to the high or low academic performance groups. A total of 172 university students participated. Meta-creativity was assessed using a Meta-Creativity Questionnaire, which evaluated three dimensions (creative motivation, creative leadership, and divergent thinking). Additionally, academic performance was recorded, allowing for the classification of students based on high and low academic performance. The results of the analysis of variance indicated statistically significant differences between students with high and low academic performance in the three dimensions. Discriminant analysis indicated that the dimensions of meta-creativity were able to predict who belonged to the high and low academic performance groups. The model correctly classified 86.6% of the sample. It can be concluded that academic performance is a good indicator of the level of meta-creativity, and, additionally, meta-creativity has a beneficial effect on academic performance. There is a bidirectional relationship between the two variables.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030251
Authors: María de los Dolores Valadez Sierra Celia Josefina Rodríguez Cervantes Emilio Verche Beatriz Verónica Panduro Espinoza
Creativity is the ability to re-experience mental representations and is the basis of intuitive thinking when constructing images prior to the elaboration of an action plan. Creativity is thought to be related to orbitofrontal functions that govern decision making, such as inhibitory control, risk–benefit evaluation and acceptance of limits and rules, given that these processes prepare one against possible scenarios. Objective: In this study, the relationship between creativity and decision making is investigated to understand the needs of gifted students. Method: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out with gifted students (IQ mean = 133) aged 8–10 years old (n = 25). Instruments: Creative Imagination Test (PIC) and subtests of the Neuropsychological Battery of Executive Functions and Frontal Lobes (BANFE-2) were employed. Analysis: A Spearman correlation analysis was conducted between the normalized BANFE-2 scores and the percentiles of PIC. Results: Moderate correlations were found between creative/narrative flexibility and decision making/risk percentage (r = 0.432, p ≤ 0.05) and decision making/response-effectiveness (r = 0.426, p ≤ 0.05), as well as between graphic creativity/shadow and color with decision making/response-effectiveness (r = 0.452, p ≤ 0.05) and inhibition (r = 0.673, p ≤ 0.01); moderate negative correlations were found between inhibition and graphic creativity/title (r = −0.570, p ≤ 0.05) and general graphic creativity (r = −0.489, p ≤ 0.05). Conclusions: Creativity in students with intellectual giftedness is favored by a relationship with orbitofrontal functions. Analysis of risk situations and effective decision making increase narrative creation and diminished inhibition allows for greater creative graphic production.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030250
Authors: Andrés R. Masegosa Rafael Cabañas Ana D. Maldonado María Morales
This research paper explores the effectiveness of live coding as an active learning methodology in teaching programming, particularly in the context of diverse learning styles. Live coding, characterized by real-time coding demonstrations by instructors, has been increasingly adopted to enhance the learning experience in programming education. It offers immediate feedback, demonstrates problem-solving in action, and allows instructors to incorporate student suggestions, making it a dynamic and engaging teaching tool. However, its effectiveness varies among students with different learning preferences. This study investigates the impact of various learning style dimensions, as defined by the Felder–Silverman model, on the effectiveness of live coding in an introductory object-oriented programming course. The study was conducted at Aalborg University, Denmark, with students from the BSc Software program. It aims to provide empirical evidence on how different learning style dimensions influence student preferences and the effectiveness of live coding, offering insights to educators for tailoring active learning methodologies in programming courses to diverse learner needs.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030249
Authors: Charity Mokgaetji Somo
Refugee children displaced by war suffer incredible amounts of physical and psychological trauma during and post-displacement. War is not partial to children, and they are subjected to as much extreme violence as adults. This paper explores the mental health of refugee children following war and was guided by the research question: What are the mental health experiences of refugee children displaced by war situations? A secondary data analysis was conducted on publicly available documentary short films and instructional videos on psychological therapy with refugee children and families. The data were analysed through Qualitative Conventional Content Analysis (QCCA). Three major categories emerged regarding the well-being of refugee children: (1) children are not spared from war trauma, (2) children live in perpetual fear and anxiety, and (3) war-related violence ignites aggressive behaviours in children. To increase positive mental health outcomes, school psychologists need to implement trauma-informed therapy that focuses on decreasing psychosocial reactions to war. Culturally responsive therapy is recommended as it places indigenous ways of being at the centre of the healing process.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030248
Authors: Constance Van Horne Tzipora Rakedzon
One demand imposed by the global market is the possession of adequate soft skills, a challenge commonly faced by STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) graduates. This challenge is particularly prominent in China, which produces millions of STEM graduates annually. Consequently, there is a pressing need to develop and research programs facilitating the acquisition of soft skills, with a specific focus on teamwork, among Chinese engineers. To this end, we created a team-based project as part of a semester-long scientific English communication course at a Sino–foreign STEM university in China. The project aimed at fostering valuable soft skills through active learning, including teamwork, communication, and collaboration. In this report, we examine written reflections by students, aiming to assess their perceptions of soft skill development and overall experience resulting from their participation in the team-based project. Our results show the self-reflected soft skills development was considerable, and, unexpectedly, a noteworthy outcome of the project was the significant development of interpersonal connections, resulting in a positive experience and friendship development. Consequently, the findings of this study shed light on how teamwork can foster soft skills and friendship development, the latter often referred to as relationship development, another soft skill in the 21st century.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030247
Authors: Generosa Pinheiro José Matias Alves
Responding to contemporary global challenges will require quality education, which presupposes changes in schools’ organizational structures, new roles and mentalities for the players involved and a culture of learning at the different levels of organizations. In this regard, we strive to understand how changing certain organizational structures, more specifically the organization of teaching by educational teams operating as professional learning communities, can have an impact on individual, collective and organizational learning at schools. To this end, we have adopted a qualitative research paradigm, put into operation through a case study, based on a qualitative-quantitative approach. We combined a descriptive statistical approach consisting of two questionnaires, which have been decoded and interpreted both structurally and semantically, with a content analysis of interviews, focused discussion groups and field diary notes, to examine a number of unique contexts and the perspectives of individual players. We concluded that a change in organizational structures is an essential but insufficient condition. What is needed is a change in the players’ beliefs and collaboration that provides deep learning. As such, a substantial change in education at the level of educational organization requires joint action at the levels of structure, middle leadership, beliefs and professional cultures.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030246
Authors: Gal Harpaz Yael Grinshtain Yosi Yaffe
The present study focuses on the involvement of a parent in their child’s learning processes, particularly, their help-giving orientation while learning at home. The main goal of the study was to identify the connection between the parent’s personal characteristics and the help-giving orientation the parent provides to their child: autonomous vs. dependent (parent as student) help-giving. The sample was collected using online participant recruitment surveys in Israel. In total, 306 parents aged 27–59, who had at least one child in elementary school, answered five questionnaires measuring the research variables: the short grit scale; the satisfaction with life scale; the advice/affect management–overparenting subscale; the parenting sense of competence scale; the parental help-giving orientations scale (PHGOs), and a background questionnaire. The findings identified negative associations between parental personal characteristics (grit, advice/affect management, well-being) and parent-as-student orientation and positive associations between the parent’s characteristics and parental autonomous help-giving orientation, with all of these effects at least partially mediated by parental self-efficacy (indirect effects). The results provide greater insight into the relationship between a parent’s personal characteristics and their choice of assistance to their child and contribute to the knowledge regarding parental involvement in learning at home and educational contexts in general.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030245
Authors: Stefan Bostrom Martin Karlberg Candace Schell Nina Klang
The aim of this study was to evaluate the Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS) intervention in an alternative educational setting for students with behavioural problems. The effect of the CPS intervention on students’ off-task behaviour was studied using a single-subject experimental design that included two students with behavioural problems via systematic direct observations and direct behaviour ratings. The usability of the CPS intervention was investigated through questionnaires and interviews with the participating students and teacher assistant. The results revealed no significant effects of the CPS intervention on students’ off-task behaviour. The students and teacher assistant viewed the CPS intervention as acceptable but the teacher assistant’s ratings of the feasibility of the intervention were lower, together with the ratings of the extent to which the intervention matched the socio-political climate of the educational setting.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030244
Authors: Alicia McIntire Isaac Calvert Jessica Ashcraft
In light of the burgeoning influence of LLM AI programs like ChatGPT in a variety of academic contexts and the COVID-19 pandemic’s expansion of virtual classrooms and coursework, the philosophical framing of academic integrity and plagiarism is being re-examined. In concert with these technological changes, students are also facing increasing pressure to succeed in their academic pursuits. Inasmuch as the consequences of failure in these contexts are often dire academically, socially, and financially, we argue that students often weigh the choice to plagiarize not as an ethical issue but as a pragmatic mitigation of risk. Using three salient examples of plagiarism and cheating from higher education in North America as case studies, we explore the pressures and contexts that have influenced the choice to engage in plagiarism and cheating through this pragmatic lens. As an ethical framing of the issue of academic integrity has been less effective in ameliorating plagiarism in this pressurized climate, we propose a way in which educators, administrators and policy makers might approach the issue in this same pragmatic frame. In short, rather than combat plagiarism by teaching its moral repugnance, we propose educators could argue instead that plagiarism and cheating are pragmatically untenable simply because they are detrimental to learning.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030243
Authors: Cristina Navarro Manuel Arias-Calderón Carolina A. Henríquez Paula Riquelme
Virtual laboratory simulations (VLs), particularly in Biology education, are gaining popularity. This study focused on assessing students’ and teachers’ perceptions of VLs, developed by Labster, in a first-year undergraduate cell biology course. The evaluation involved surveys and interviews with 352 respondents. Findings indicate that over 90% of students found VLs user-friendly and visually engaging. However, around 60% noted the need for significant technical resources, which could limit accessibility. Over 80% of students reported that VLs increased their motivation, autonomy, interest, and confidence. While only 72% viewed them as potential replacements for traditional labs, more than 90% preferred using VLs as preparatory material for practical sessions. Teachers generally agreed with these perceptions, emphasizing the need for technical support for effective use. They suggested that VLs are better as pre-lab activities rather than full replacements. Both students and teachers recognized VLs as beneficial for academic performance and learning attitude but noted limitations in technical support for home use. The consensus was that VLs are most effective as complementary material before in-person lab sessions.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030242
Authors: Nancy M. Holincheck Tammy Kraft Terrie M. Galanti Courtney K. Baker Jill K. Nelson
This qualitative interview study examines STEM integration in three diverse elementary schools through the eyes of the teachers and instructional coaches (n = 9) who facilitated the transdisciplinary Box Turtle Model-eliciting Activity (MEA). Prior to implementation, participants attended a full-day professional development workshop in which they experienced the MEA in school-based triads of principals, coaches, and teachers. The educators then implemented the MEA with elementary students from across multiple grade levels. We used the guiding principles of productive disciplinary engagement in our analysis of educator interviews to interpret participants’ perceptions of how an MEA encourages elementary students to (a) problematize real-world scenarios, (b) direct their own learning, and (c) collaborate through meaningful academic discourse. Educators also identified challenges to integrating STEM in elementary classrooms. The Box Turtle MEA offered more equitable access to STEM by positioning students as authorities and providing space for them to be accountable to themselves and others in solving an authentic, real-world problem.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030241
Authors: Matej Pašák Marián Palcut
The face-to-face education system around the world unexpectedly collapsed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The priority education process became remote education and activities related to self-study and self-education. This paper investigates how university students’ performance has been influenced by remote learning during the lockdown period. Academic performance is evaluated by measuring the time required to complete specific homework in statistical data processing. Comparisons of performance are made for before, during and after the pandemic period. This study examines a population of third-year university students majoring in Materials Science and Engineering. The students were asked to complete a specific homework requiring the processing and evaluation of random laboratory data using analytical software. The delivery times of the completed homework before, during and after the lockdown period are compared. It has been found that although the students had to spend more time on their task during the pandemic, their relative performance remained unchanged and was comparable to that of pre-pandemic. After the end of the lockdown period, an increase in academic performance was noted. Our results suggest that the sudden transition to remote education may have been beneficial for the long-term performance of a group of selected university students in data processing and evaluation. The findings support the idea that teachers and their institutions should be willing to use a variety of teaching methods. The inclusion of remote learning methods in university instruction is encouraged.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030240
Authors: Tamás Köpeczi-Bócz
Our study investigated the effects of combining project-based learning (PBL) and flipped classroom (FC) methods in university education on the learning motivation and learning outcomes of students at the bachelor (BSc), master (MSc), and higher vocational education and training (HVET) levels. We aimed to explore how these modern teaching methods can influence students’ performance and motivation at different levels of education. The research used cross-sectional analysis and quantitative methods to evaluate the impact of FC and combined PBL and FC methods. This study followed groups of students for two academic years, comparing their results with control groups that did not benefit from the combined teaching method but were studied in a same FC environment. The results showed that students at the BSc and HVET levels significantly improved their learning motivation and achievement by combining PBL and FC methods (BSc: p = 0.0001248, HVET: p = 0.0485), while at the MSc level, this effect was not significant (p = 0.1000). These data support that an effective combination of PBL and FC methods can improve learning motivation and outcomes at certain levels of education, but further research is needed better to understand the effects for students at the MSc level.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030239
Authors: Ginevra Aquilina Umberto Dello Iacono Lucia Gabelli Luca Picariello Giacomo Scettri Giulia Termini
In this paper, we present the design of a Teaching—Learning Sequence (TLS) based on storytelling. The TLS has a twofold goal: to address students’ misconceptions about atomic models and to promote students’ development of modeling skills. The story is titled “Romeo and Juliet: a love out of the shell”, and the characters are electrons living inside an atom. The TLS was tested with upper secondary school students. A qualitative analysis of the data shows that the TLS was able to engage students and helped them reconstruct the atomic model, while the story improved students’ understanding of specific concepts related to the atomic model. The use of storytelling in the context of our research is discussed, together with the limitations of the story and possible future research developments.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030238
Authors: William F. McComas
This article is an introduction to the rich domain of curriculum studies with specific reference to science teaching and learning. It is designed not as a systematic review or theoretical treatise but rather as an overview for those charged with transforming science content and processes into a classroom curriculum. In other words, while written from the scholarly perspective of curriculum studies, the hope is that it will be seen by teachers as a set of possibilities rather than recommendations while reminding educators that what happens in classrooms to students and their parents is the curriculum, but it is only one of many that might have been delivered. To accomplish this, this paper explores the complex definition of curriculum including the notions of the kinds of curriculum from null, to formal, received, and learned with an emphasis on what occurs as a specific curriculum design results in effective and even faulty learning, a unique consequence proposed here. Next, we explore the common curriculum ideologies or orientations including those focused on academic advancement, tradition, student-centeredness, and social improvement. Finally, a formal recommendation for the content of science instruction in the U.S.—the Next-Generation Science Standards, is are considered as a conclusion by applying the expansive perspective of the term and nature of curriculum discussed throughout.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030237
Authors: Iveta Kovalčíková Jochanan Veerbeek Bart Vogelaar Martin Klimovič Eva Gogová
One important internal factor influencing reading comprehension is a child’s executive functioning. The primary objective of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of a cognitive stimulation program, ExeFun-READ (a program focusing on executive functioning stimulation via the L1 (Slovak language) curriculum with a specific focus on enhancing reading comprehension). The program is explicitly based on the assumed bi-directional relationship between executive functioning and language abilities related to reading comprehension. The program is domain-specific; the curriculum of L1 (Slovak) is a curricular area in which cognitive mediation occurs. The study will investigate whether the domain-specific ExeFun-READ intervention had a positive effect on children’s executive functioning and language subcomponents of reading comprehension. Keeping in mind ecological validity, ExeFun-READ was designed primarily for educational purposes, specifically professional tutoring for low-performing students. The intervention consists of 30 units; each unit lasts for 45–60 min. A stimulation unit approximates a teaching unit rather than a clinical experimental intervention. In total, 151 low-performing students attending grade four from seven elementary schools took part in the project. The study employs a pre-test–training–post-test design with three conditions: experimental, active control, and passive control. In the current study, the intervention led to improved language abilities related to reading comprehension. Significant improvements were found in vocabulary (semantic knowledge), completion of sentences (syntactic knowledge), and classification of terms (verbal fluency and inferencing) in the group of children that received the ExeFun-READ intervention. In terms of executive functioning, the improvement only extended to switching fluency.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030236
Authors: Sofia Avgitidou Maria Kampeza Konstantinos Karadimitriou Christina Sidiropoulou
Pedagogy emphasises children’s participation in education as a child’s right and a prerequisite for learning and democratic education. However, studies show that participatory practices are not dominant in early childhood education (ECE). This calls for focused interventions during initial teacher education (ITE) to rectify this shortfall. This study examined pre-service teachers’ beliefs about children’s participation, exploring the effects of a targeted intervention during ITE in transforming pre-service teachers’ beliefs about a participatory paradigm in ECE. Pre-service teachers from three universities completed an open-ended questionnaire, both prior to and following the intervention, as well as a self-rating scale with open- and closed-ended questions post-intervention. The results displayed the variety of pre-service teachers’ beliefs, revealing the possibilities for their transformation after the intervention. The shifts observed in the pre-service teachers’ thinking after the intervention showed a shift in terms of the meaning of participation, their recognition of children’s abilities and rights, their ability to criticise the controlling role of the teacher, and their awareness of strategies to enhance co-decision-making processes in ECE. This study provides teacher educators with an understanding of the content of and ways to design interventions to foster participatory pedagogies in ECE during ITE.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030235
Authors: Kaili C. Zhang
Elective home education is a significant aspect of the UK educational system, yet dedicated research on this topic is limited. This study, employing Appreciative Inquiry, explored the best practices perceived by 90 UK home-educating parents. It uncovered diverse strategies, emphasising the importance of resources such as technology, curricula, and collaborative efforts within home education co-operatives. Parents stressed the value of flexible learning environments and strong family commitment, envisioning a future with an enhanced home learning atmosphere and government and school support. They recommended concrete guidance for prospective home-educating parents, focusing on comprehensive child development. Ultimately, families aspired to shape a future for home education that prioritises enriched learning environments, broader societal recognition, and practical support for those embarking on the home education journey. The study’s findings have implications for children’s development, facilitating collaboration between homes and schools, as well as partnerships between families and educators.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030234
Authors: Cyrille Granget Cecilia Gunnarsson Inès Saddour Clara Solier Vera Serrau Charlotte Alazard
In recent decades, a vast literature has documented crosslinguistic influences on the acquisition of L2 phonology and in particular the effects of spelling on pronunciation. However, articulating these research findings in terms of taking into account the effects of L1 phonology and spelling on L2 pronunciation in language teaching remains to be examined. These studies are based on experimental cross-sectional methods and mainly focus on L2 English learning by speakers of languages with an alphabetic system. In French, there are few studies on crosslinguistic influences on the acquisition of the nasal vowels (//, // and /ε~/) and few experimental studies that point to a possible effect of orthography on the pronunciation of these phonemes. The results of experimental studies are difficult to transpose to the language classroom because they are based on word or sentence reading and writing activities, which are quite far-removed from the conversational activities practised in the classroom in interaction with peers and the teacher. Hence, we opted here for a case study of the effect of spelling on the production of nasal vowels in interaction tasks. We conducted a longitudinal study during the first year of extensive learning of French (4 h 30 per week). The results of a perceptive analysis by expert listeners show that (i) learners spell nasal vowels with an <n> or <m> in 98% of the obligatory contexts; (ii) most nasal vowels are perceived as nasal vowels in speech (72%), the others being perceived as vowels followed by a nasal consonant (19.5%) or as oral vowels (8.5%); (iii) consonantisation is stronger when the learner spontaneously produces a word than when (s)he repeats it, (iv) which decreases with time (learning effect) and varies (v) according to the consonant, /ε~/ being less consonantised than // and //. Finaly, we propose a didactic discussion in the light of intelligibility and influence of orthography.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030233
Authors: Meng-Meng Li Chia-Ching Tu
The aim of this research was to produce a project-based learning (PjBL) course model that combines with the Think–Pair–Share (TPS) strategy and to determine its effectiveness in improving the creative thinking skills of education students. The sample of participants comprised 100 students from a university in Bangkok, Thailand. Five main elements comprised the PjBL-TPS course: 1. Project Preparation (including an introduction, pairs formation, and an understanding of the project); 2. Project Pair Cooperation (including discussion, knowledge framework development in pairs, practice analysis, brainstorming, and pair feedback); 3. Project Production (including its development, testing, refinement, and presentation); 4. Project Evaluation (including giving feedback on the work of the other pairs); and 5. Project Conclusion (including reflecting on the overall experience of the project). The results show that, in their post-course exercises, the students displayed enhanced creativity in all areas of creative skills (involving fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration). The experimental group demonstrated significantly higher creativity levels compared to the control group. In addition, the post-course assessments of the self-perceived creativity improvements of the students revealed that, post-course, most of the students perceived improvements in every aspect of their creativity.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030232
Authors: Gregory C. Weaver Paige L. McDonald Gordon S. Louie Taylor C. Woodman
(1) Background: International virtual exchanges (IVEs) are here to stay. The coronavirus pandemic of 2019 (COVID-19) necessitated global virtual interactions to solve wicked problems. Within industry during the pandemic, the use of online technologies expanded at a never-before-seen rate to form global partnerships At the same time, higher-education institutions lessened traditional international offerings, reimagining “campus” education using “just in time online education”. Still others leveraged international partnerships to fully embrace IVEs. Adopting virtual learning technologies to support global exchange in this way develops the knowledge and skills required in a post-pandemic world. To continue to shape knowledge that supports international collaboration toward addressing increasingly complex societal issues, higher education must learn to leverage IVEs, addressing issues of access, equity, and cost. (2) Methods: This research was conducted according to the “Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews” (PRISMA-Scr) guidelines. It systematically analyzed the literature published since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, exploring methods, models, and the outcomes of IVE in higher education. (3) Results: The findings demonstrate the potential for IVE to be scaled across higher education to promote the knowledge and skills required by a global ecology.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030231
Authors: Yaron Schur Ainat Guberman
One of the obstacles preventing change of teaching methods in schools is teachers’ traditional conceptualizations of ‘teaching’ as transmissive and teacher-centered. The aim of this study was to track changes in experienced teachers’ concept of ‘teaching’, following their exposure to attentive teaching. This is a dialogical method in which the learners represent their concepts in drawings and written explanations, and discuss them with their teacher and peers. Method: This was a multiple-case study. The participants were three teachers who attended an attentive teaching professional development course. They drew ‘teaching’ in the first, sixth, and the last, fifteenth, session, and provided explanations of their drawings. Findings: At the start of the course, they described teaching as a unidirectional process of transmitting knowledge. In the middle, they became more aware of the students as individuals who should be listened to. By the end of the course, teaching was portrayed as multi-directional (and enjoyable), so that all the participants, including the teacher, teach and learn from each other. Conclusions: This study shows that by studying, experiencing, and implementing attentive teaching, it is possible to change experienced teachers’ traditional beliefs without directly challenging them, and that drawings can track the changes’ trajectory.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030230
Authors: Diana Cembreros Castaño Álvaro Moraleda Ruano Natalia Lara Nieto-Márquez
The prevalence of bullying and eating disorders among adolescents is alarmingly high. In response to these issues, a mobile application called “Searching Help” was designed to be incorporated into school environments. This study aims to understand parents’ views on a school-integrated app designed to prevent bullying and eating disorders. Additionally, it sought to identify potential gender differences in these perceptions. Utilizing a retrospective research approach, we gathered insights from 201 parents of Spanish adolescents aged 12–18. The findings highlighted that a school-integrated app to prevent bullying and eating disorders was positively received by parents. Regarding gender, mothers were more aware of eating disorders and had greater concerns about unauthorized data access compared to fathers. Conversely, fathers were more optimistic about the potential of the app in creating a secure school environment against bullying and eating disorders. Notably, it was observed that although parents had a decent understanding of the problems associated with bullying and eating disorders independently, their knowledge of the technological solutions available to address these issues was considerably limited. In conclusion, this research confirms the gender-specific variations in parents’ attitudes and views toward technology-based solutions in schools and emphasizes a need for enhanced awareness initiatives to familiarize parents with relevant technological solutions for their children’s safety.
]]>Education Sciences doi: 10.3390/educsci14030229
Authors: Claudia Reina-Reina Eneko Antón Jon Andoni Duñabeitia
The scientific evidence regarding the possibility of transferring benefits derived from cognitive training focused on working memory and inhibitory control to reading skills in children aged 6 to 12 is inconclusive. This study carries out a systematic review of recent published studies on this topic with the aim of analysing the specific role of various cognitive stimulation programs in the growth of executive functions and reading performance in children from ages 6 to 12. Here, we present the main results reported in the most recent literature, where the impact of intervention programs on working memory and inhibitory control in children with typical development are analysed. Even though the effectiveness of executive function training programs in terms of close transfer is conspicuous, there is still a lack of convergence in recently published articles, especially regarding the effects of far transfer in reading comprehension after cognitive stimulation programs are applied.
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