Education Sciences

22 pages, 3381 KB

Open AccessArticle

Using Ancient Ideas and Digital Tools in Mathematics Teacher Education

by Sergei Abramovich

Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(8), 1268; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16081268 (registering DOI) - 9 Aug 2026

This paper shows how the ideas of Archimedes about integrating “mechanical methods” and formal reasoning can be connected with the modern-day use of three computer programs—Wolfram Alpha, Maple, and Excel—in exploring topics related to the elementary theory of numbers. Explorations deal with the [...] Read more.

This paper shows how the ideas of Archimedes about integrating “mechanical methods” and formal reasoning can be connected with the modern-day use of three computer programs—Wolfram Alpha, Maple, and Excel—in exploring topics related to the elementary theory of numbers. Explorations deal with the subsequences of integer sequences through the step-by-step elimination of every other term obtained in the previous step. This process, resembling the sieve of Eratosthenes and some modern-day sieving algorithms, is applied to tetrahedral numbers stemming from an ancient tradition to associate integers with geometric shapes and social contexts. It is demonstrated that symbolic computations in Wolfram Alpha enable generalization in the construction of sieves that is confirmed by Maple and a spreadsheet. This conceptual paper addresses one of the aims of the Special Issue by demonstrating the duality of mathematics and technology in the sense that whereas the latter facilitates new approaches to knowledge acquisition, the former can be used to improve the efficiency of computations by reflecting on the results made possible by these approaches. The activities conducted advocate for the value of a pedagogical framework that integrates ancient ideas, digital tools, and elementary number theory in the education of mathematics teachers. Reflective comments by teacher candidates are included as appropriate and linked to established educational frameworks to illustrate conformity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrating Technology in Mathematics Teaching and Learning)

18 pages, 2075 KB

Open AccessArticle

Navigating Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness in Blended Higher Education: A Qualitative Study of Digital Study Practices

by Femke Legroux, Ellen Van den Eynde and Jo Tondeur

Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(8), 1267; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16081267 (registering DOI) - 8 Aug 2026

Abstract

Blended learning has become a structural feature of contemporary higher education, yet little is known about how students experience the digital study practices that shape their everyday learning rhythms. This qualitative study explores how students navigate autonomy, competence, and relatedness within digitally mediated [...] Read more.

Blended learning has become a structural feature of contemporary higher education, yet little is known about how students experience the digital study practices that shape their everyday learning rhythms. This qualitative study explores how students navigate autonomy, competence, and relatedness within digitally mediated blended environments. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 students enrolled in blended programs at a Belgian university. Using reflexive thematic analysis, four themes were identified: fostering flexibility without losing orientation, cultivating belonging in blended spaces, providing scaffolds to build competence and motivation, and navigating digital strain. Students valued the autonomy afforded by flexible study rhythms, yet this autonomy was fragile when digital structures were unclear or inconsistent. Belonging depended on visible instructor presence and intentional opportunities for interaction, while competence was shaped by clarity, coherence, and timely feedback across platforms. Digital strain accumulated through extended screen time, technical frictions, and blurred boundaries between study and personal life. These findings offer a situated understanding of how students experience technology-mediated learning as both enabling and demanding. The study highlights the importance of predictable digital routines, relational presence, and coherent design in supporting sustainable engagement in blended higher education. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Teaching and Learning Research with Technology in New Era)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 282 KB

Open AccessArticle

Beyond Admissions and Financial Aid: Demystifying the College-Going Process for Latine Students Through Relational Engagement

by Delma Ramos, Cathryn Bennett, Paul Nava and Akira Goodman

Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(8), 1266; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16081266 (registering DOI) - 8 Aug 2026

Abstract

College access programs are well documented to build procedural knowledge of admissions and financial aid, yet less is known about how they demystify the hidden curriculum of college-going for Latine students. To address this gap, we examine a four-day college access immersion program [...] Read more.

College access programs are well documented to build procedural knowledge of admissions and financial aid, yet less is known about how they demystify the hidden curriculum of college-going for Latine students. To address this gap, we examine a four-day college access immersion program for Latine high school students in North Carolina. Guided by a relational engagement framework, we analyzed 205 open-ended survey responses from 96 Latine high school juniors and seniors, collected through the program’s anonymous daily evaluations, using a two-cycle iterative coding approach. Findings reveal five forms of learning through which participants described the program countering dominant narratives of exclusion: (1) reframing identity and culture as assets, (2) building confidence through intergroup exchange, (3) enacting agency for college access, (4) uncovering the hidden curriculum of financial well-being and college persistence, and (5) disrupting exclusionary assumptions about college access. The study extends relational engagement theory by demonstrating how culturally sustaining programmatic networks render implicit institutional knowledge visible and accessible. Implications for research and culturally responsive practice are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Higher Education)

20 pages, 1402 KB

Open AccessArticle

From Illusion of Competence to Productive Uncertainty: A Longitudinal Mixed-Methods Study of Team-Based Learning in Anatomy Education

by Nieves Martín-Alguacil and Luis Avedillo

Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(8), 1265; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16081265 (registering DOI) - 8 Aug 2026

Abstract

Team-based learning (TBL) is increasingly being implemented in health sciences education to promote active learning and higher-order cognitive skills. However, the long-term effects of TBL on student performance and perceptions remain unclear. This study evaluated the impact of TBL on veterinary anatomy practical [...] Read more.

Team-based learning (TBL) is increasingly being implemented in health sciences education to promote active learning and higher-order cognitive skills. However, the long-term effects of TBL on student performance and perceptions remain unclear. This study evaluated the impact of TBL on veterinary anatomy practical sessions over four academic years (2022/2023–2025/2026) using a longitudinal, mixed-methods design. Quantitative measures included performance across TBL components such as individual and team readiness tests, application exercises, formative assessments, and final scores. Cognitive level analysis was based on Bloom’s taxonomy. Student perceptions were collected through Likert-scale surveys, and qualitative responses were analyzed thematically. The results showed consistently low individual readiness scores, indicating persistent challenges in pre-class preparation. However, team performance improved over time, highlighting the benefits of collaborative learning. Application exercise scores and overall performance increased over time, with notable improvements in higher-order cognitive skills compared to a traditional cohort. Students’ perceptions evolved from initial resistance and perceived difficulty to more positive evaluations, with significant reductions in negative comparisons and metacognitive miscalibration, as well as increased positive perceptions. Overall, TBL supported progressive improvements in academic performance and cognitive development. Collaboration mitigated limitations in individual preparation, and student adaptation enhanced the effectiveness of this pedagogical approach in veterinary education. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovations in Formative Assessment: Enhancing Student Learning and Feedback Practices)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

25 pages, 705 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Relational Foundations of Teacher Resilience: Recognition and Professional Authority

by Edouard Munezero, Ágnes Hódi, Edit Tóth and Marianne Nikolov

Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(8), 1264; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16081264 (registering DOI) - 8 Aug 2026

Abstract

Teacher resilience (TR) is essential for teacher well-being, professional commitment, and educational quality. Although recognition, authority, and resilience have received considerable scholarly attention, limited research has examined how recognition and professional authority interact to support TR. Guided by Self-Determination Theory (SDT), this exploratory [...] Read more.

Teacher resilience (TR) is essential for teacher well-being, professional commitment, and educational quality. Although recognition, authority, and resilience have received considerable scholarly attention, limited research has examined how recognition and professional authority interact to support TR. Guided by Self-Determination Theory (SDT), this exploratory qualitative study investigated these dynamics through semi-structured interviews with 12 purposively selected teachers (≥3 years’ teaching experience), 12 purposively selected Primary 4–6 students (aged 10–13), and 12 purposively selected parents from selected urban public primary schools in Kigali, Rwanda. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings suggest that TR is a relational process shaped by interactions among recognition, authority, and supportive professional relationships. Recognition was perceived to foster teachers’ sense of relatedness through student success, parental trust, collaborative engagement, and collegial affirmation, while authority was associated with competence and autonomy through pedagogical expertise, fairness, and care. Based on these findings, the study proposes a preliminary SDT-informed interpretive framework in which recognition and authority function as interconnected relational resources that may support TR. By integrating recognition and authority into a single explanatory framework, this study contributes to TR scholarship and offers insights for strengthening teacher well-being and professional sustainability in resource-constrained and evolving educational contexts. Full article

► Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 309 KB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring Self-Efficacy of Primary and Special Education Pre-Service Teachers in Teaching Real-World Problems and Modelling

by Martina Geisen and Joerg Zender

Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(8), 1263; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16081263 (registering DOI) - 8 Aug 2026

Abstract

This study examines pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy in teaching real-world problems and mathematical modelling. Using a quantitative design, it investigates variation in self-efficacy between primary and special education pre-service teachers across different competence facets. The findings reveal a differentiated, domain-specific pattern of self-efficacy rather [...] Read more.

This study examines pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy in teaching real-world problems and mathematical modelling. Using a quantitative design, it investigates variation in self-efficacy between primary and special education pre-service teachers across different competence facets. The findings reveal a differentiated, domain-specific pattern of self-efficacy rather than uniform differences between groups. Special education pre-service teachers reported higher self-efficacy in pedagogical content knowledge and task design and differentiation, whereas no significant differences emerged for situation-specific skills and instructional design and enactment. The study contributes to a more differentiated understanding of modelling-related self-efficacy by showing that domain specificity may also operate within a specific area of mathematics teaching. It highlights the relevance of considering different competence facets in teacher education for inclusive mathematics classrooms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Special and Inclusive Education)

29 pages, 1049 KB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring Student-, Teacher-, and Classroom-Level Factors That Influence Attendance and Performance Gains in Adult Education Programs

by Christy L. Jarrard, Elizabeth L. Tighe, Gal Kaldes, Daphne Greenberg and Robert C. Hendrick

Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(8), 1262; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16081262 (registering DOI) - 8 Aug 2026

Abstract

This study used archival data from 30,453 students enrolled in 289 adult education programs in the state of Georgia, United States during the 2018–2019 school year. We explored how student-, teacher-, and classroom-level factors predict student attendance and academic performance (reading, language, and [...] Read more.

This study used archival data from 30,453 students enrolled in 289 adult education programs in the state of Georgia, United States during the 2018–2019 school year. We explored how student-, teacher-, and classroom-level factors predict student attendance and academic performance (reading, language, and math) over time. Results indicated several student-level factors predict attendance and educational performance, including age, gender, race/ethnicity, previous educational attainment, low-income status, special needs status, reported barriers to education, and dual enrollment. Depending on the academic subject, age, race, previous education, special needs, and dual enrollment predicted academic growth over time. Teacher-level factors such as teacher experience predicted educational performance; classroom factors such as whether the course was an Integrated Education and Training (IET) class predicted attendance, and distance classes predicted attendance and performance. Certification predicted growth over time for language, and employment status and designation as a distance class predicted growth over time for math. These findings will help state officials improve the delivery of services to further enhance and improve student outcomes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Many Faces of Adult Literacy Across Contexts, Cultures, and Modalities)

12 pages, 228 KB

Open AccessArticle

Two Cheers for Physical Literacy: Reconsidering the Whiteheadian Account Through Radical Embodied Cognitive Science

by Richard Bailey, Manolis Adamakis and Claude Scheuer

Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(8), 1261; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16081261 (registering DOI) - 8 Aug 2026

Abstract

Physical literacy has become influential across education, sport, health, and recreation. Yet the field contains multiple definitions and distinct traditions rather than a single agreed position. One especially influential strand is the Whiteheadian account, the philosophically oriented tradition associated with the British philosopher [...] Read more.

Physical literacy has become influential across education, sport, health, and recreation. Yet the field contains multiple definitions and distinct traditions rather than a single agreed position. One especially influential strand is the Whiteheadian account, the philosophically oriented tradition associated with the British philosopher and physical educationalist Margaret Whitehead and extended through allied writers and institutional work. Whitehead did not invent the term physical literacy, which has a longer history, but she provided its most influential contemporary philosophical reconstruction and helped shape its current international meaning. The Whiteheadian account has been important because it rejects narrow mind–body separation and offers a holistic, lifespan-oriented account of movement, meaning, and human flourishing. The argument advanced here is that the Whiteheadian account is non-dualist in declaration but not always in operation. Its explicit commitment to monism and lived embodiment is not always matched by its practical grammar, in which bodily competence, bodily participation, and visible movement often carry more pedagogical and evaluative weight than minded engagement as a process of learning. Radical embodied cognitive science, especially radical enactivism, offers additional conceptual resources for developing a more explicitly relational account of learning and physical literacy because it begins with situated organism–environment engagement rather than with the later integration of bodily and mental domains. The article concludes by proposing a more relational, process-oriented, and pedagogically robust understanding of physical literacy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rethinking Physical Literacy: Critical Perspectives on Educating Through Movement)

18 pages, 419 KB

Open AccessArticle

Adult and Child Interactions When Using Digital Technologies

by Lisa K. Kervin, Kate L. Lewis, Natalie Day and Steven J. Howard

Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(8), 1260; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16081260 (registering DOI) - 8 Aug 2026

Abstract

Young children increasingly encounter digital technologies in their everyday lives, yet little is known about how adults and children interact with these tools during spontaneous, unstructured play. This study examined adult–child interactions in a dedicated digital play space located within a children’s museum [...] Read more.

Young children increasingly encounter digital technologies in their everyday lives, yet little is known about how adults and children interact with these tools during spontaneous, unstructured play. This study examined adult–child interactions in a dedicated digital play space located within a children’s museum on a university campus. Thirty-six families with a child aged 2.5–5 years old attended 2-h digital playgroup sessions, during which continuous video and audio recordings captured dyadic exchanges. Using inductive analysis of 71 digital interaction episodes, we identified three interrelated themes that shaped how digital play unfolded: expertise, control, and pace. These themes influenced whether adults supported or constrained children’s agency as they navigated digital and non-digital play materials. The findings show how adults’ moment-to-moment decisions—including their own curiosity about the technology—can redirect, extend, or limit children’s discoveries. Digital tools created distinctive opportunities for joint exploration but also introduced challenges to interactional richness when adult attention shifted toward the technology rather than the child. This paper offers an account of how digital play is co-constructed and highlights the importance of attuned adult participation in technology-inspired play. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Play with Innovative Technologies for Engaged and Effective Learning)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 984 KB

Open AccessArticle

Knowing Is Not Enough: Perceived Familiarity with Generative AI, Support Needs, and Critical–Responsible Orientation Among Higher Education Students

by Marko Radovan and Danijela Makovec Radovan

Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(8), 1259; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16081259 (registering DOI) - 8 Aug 2026

Abstract

Generative AI tools are spreading rapidly through higher education, yet relationships among students’ perceived familiarity with GenAI, self-reported use, support needs, and critical–responsible orientation remain insufficiently understood. We surveyed 449 students from four Slovenian faculties of education and arts. Perceived familiarity with GenAI [...] Read more.

Generative AI tools are spreading rapidly through higher education, yet relationships among students’ perceived familiarity with GenAI, self-reported use, support needs, and critical–responsible orientation remain insufficiently understood. We surveyed 449 students from four Slovenian faculties of education and arts. Perceived familiarity with GenAI was measured using a single self-assessment item rather than a test of knowledge or competence. Critical–responsible orientation was operationalized as the importance students assigned to nine ethical and societal issues; it did not measure observed responsible behavior. Perceived familiarity with GenAI was positively but modestly associated with the frequency, breadth, and diversity of self-reported learning-related GenAI use. Descriptively, students with lower perceived familiarity reported greater support needs across all five areas, while responsible-use guidance was widely requested in both groups. Perceived familiarity with GenAI did not significantly predict critical–responsible orientation; age showed a small positive association. Among the 196 respondents who reported using GenAI for learning, perceived familiarity was the only significant predictor of the number of learning-related purposes; perceived instructional and institutional support and critical–responsible orientation were not independently associated with the outcome. These findings distinguish perceived familiarity with GenAI, self-reported use, support needs, and critical–responsible orientation as related but non-equivalent dimensions of GenAI readiness. Higher education institutions should provide curriculum-based support that combines practical GenAI skills with critical evaluation and attention to responsible use. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Generative Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

29 pages, 1412 KB

Open AccessArticle

Project-Based Science Learning: Adaptations That Promote Productive Disciplinary Engagement and Disrupt Exclusionary Practices

by Emily Adah Miller, Tingting Li, Selin Akgün, Hildah Makori, Maria Simani and Joseph Krajcik

Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(8), 1258; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16081258 - 7 Aug 2026

Abstract

This paper examines how exclusionary epistemic practices embedded in science as a discipline are reproduced in classroom settings and how these practices can be disrupted when teachers adapt existing materials toward goals of epistemic inclusion. The inequities in access, participation, and representation in [...] Read more.

This paper examines how exclusionary epistemic practices embedded in science as a discipline are reproduced in classroom settings and how these practices can be disrupted when teachers adapt existing materials toward goals of epistemic inclusion. The inequities in access, participation, and representation in science that are reproduced at a societal level are developed in the classroom. Students learn how to do science—they develop the epistemic and social practices of the scientific discipline—in science education classes. When exclusion of some students from classroom knowledge building is normalized, marginalization becomes part of how students learn to engage in science and engineering practices. Drawing on a curricular redesign project conducted during the COVID-19 transition to virtual learning, the study highlights how the repositioning of teachers as active agents and experts in curriculum adaptation was central to the work. Using qualitative data-driven coding with productive disciplinary engagement and epistemic inclusion to guide the analysis, critical cases of curricular adaptations were developed with 10 elementary science teachers during a year-long project-based learning online science curriculum enactment project. Five themes associated with disruption of entrenched exclusionary practices emerged that can be codified as adaptation principles: 1. adapt features of project-based learning to: (1) bring in and leverage students’ identities and intellectual resources from home; (2) provide student-centered choice; (3) elicit diverse knowledge, expertise and ideas; (4) support students to make use of many different modalities; (5) dismantle the usual (traditional) structures between the teacher and students. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Equitable Science Education for Engaging All Learners in Science)

13 pages, 765 KB

Open AccessArticle

Psychological Distress Mediates Between Autonomous Learning and Academic Engagement Among University Students

by Yifan Zhang and Rebecca Y. M. Cheung

Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(8), 1257; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16081257 - 7 Aug 2026

Abstract

Grounded in self-determination theory, the present study examined the role of psychological distress as a mediator between autonomous learning and academic engagement among university students in China. In this cross-sectional study, survey data from 234 Chinese university students were collected to evaluate autonomous [...] Read more.

Grounded in self-determination theory, the present study examined the role of psychological distress as a mediator between autonomous learning and academic engagement among university students in China. In this cross-sectional study, survey data from 234 Chinese university students were collected to evaluate autonomous learning, psychological distress including symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, and academic engagement. Structural equation modeling indicated that autonomous learning was positively associated with academic engagement and negatively related to psychological distress. Psychological distress, in turn, was negatively associated with academic engagement and mediated the relation between autonomous learning and academic engagement. Additional analyses further revealed significant alternative directionality of effects between psychological distress and autonomous learning, thereby suggesting that the relation may be bidirectional. These findings highlight the importance of fostering autonomous learning and addressing psychological distress to enhance engagement among Chinese students in higher education. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Positive Education: Strategies for Resilience, Well-Being, and Academic Success)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 295 KB

Open AccessArticle

“What to Tell, How Much to Tell, How to Tell It?”: Behind the Scenes of Biographical Narrative Construction—An Inquiry into Life Storytelling in Teacher Education

by Stella Gidalevich, Maayan Shalev and Rachel Anzi-Levie

Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(8), 1256; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16081256 - 7 Aug 2026

Abstract

While most research on biographical narratives has concentrated on the analysis of the final textual product as a means of understanding the narrative, the present study explores the underlying processes of narrative construction and presentation within peer groups in a teacher education college, [...] Read more.

While most research on biographical narratives has concentrated on the analysis of the final textual product as a means of understanding the narrative, the present study explores the underlying processes of narrative construction and presentation within peer groups in a teacher education college, drawing on the narrators’ own reflections and accounts. Employing on a qualitative grounded theory design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 current and former special education college students. Participants reflected on the deliberative and interpretive processes, shaping both disclosure decisions and modes of self-presentation. Findings indicate that peer groups constitute a significant force in narrative co-construction. Boundaries of disclosure and degrees of vulnerability were continuously negotiated, through engagement with others’ narratives. Participants employed various narrative strategies, including redemption and normalization frameworks, in order to sustain a coherent and resilient professional self-concept. A key theoretical contribution of the study is the conceptualization of emotional regulation, as an integral component of narrative construction. Participants actively modulated the emotional intensity of their storytelling. Overall, the study suggests that Biographical Narrative practices function as a collaborative and meaning-making process that supports reflective capacity, peer-based scaffolding and resilience, thereby contributing to teacher well-being and professional identity development, in preservice education contexts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Teacher Education)

14 pages, 236 KB

Open AccessArticle

Mapping the Typologies of Pedagogical Practice: A Latent Profile Analysis of UAE Teachers’ Classroom Strategies

by Myint Swe Khine and Ernest Afari

Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(8), 1255; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16081255 - 7 Aug 2026

Abstract

This study investigates instructional practices among 4228 UAE public school teachers using data from the 2024 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) of 15 self-reported teaching-practice items identified four distinguishable pedagogical profiles: (1) Comprehensive Practitioners (77.2%), reporting mildly above-average [...] Read more.

This study investigates instructional practices among 4228 UAE public school teachers using data from the 2024 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) of 15 self-reported teaching-practice items identified four distinguishable pedagogical profiles: (1) Comprehensive Practitioners (77.2%), reporting mildly above-average use of practices across all domains with no pronounced emphasis in any area; (2) Limited-Repertoire Teachers (10.1%), reporting the lowest use of nearly all practices; (3) Emerging-Repertoire Teachers (4.5%), showing a similar but less extreme pattern; and (4) Traditional Teachers (8.2%), reporting above-average classroom management alongside below-average cognitive activation and content-linking. The LPA was conducted using mclust (v. 6.1.3) in R. Classification quality was high (entropy = 0.987), although AIC, BIC, and ABIC continued to favour solutions with more than four profiles through the eight-profile models tested; the four-profile solution was retained for its comparatively high entropy, interpretability, and parsimony. The profile structure should therefore be treated as a description of self-reported practice patterns within this analysed, unweighted sample. By mapping diverse teaching behaviours, this study contributes to global discourse on evidence-based pedagogy and supports data-driven reform efforts aligned with the UAE’s national educational vision for world-class schooling. Full article

21 pages, 313 KB

Open AccessArticle

Looking Back: Twice-Exceptional Adults’ Perspectives on Their Educational Experiences

by Geraldine Townend, Marie McGregor, Jae Yup Jung, Heidi Merrington, Ainslie Robinson and Trevor Clark

Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(8), 1254; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16081254 - 7 Aug 2026

Abstract

Research on twice-exceptional Autistic (2eA) individuals has predominantly focused on children and adolescents, leaving a limited understanding of adult reflections on schooling. This qualitative retrospective study explored perceived barriers and facilitators to talent development among 17 intellectually gifted Autistic adults from Australia, the [...] Read more.

Research on twice-exceptional Autistic (2eA) individuals has predominantly focused on children and adolescents, leaving a limited understanding of adult reflections on schooling. This qualitative retrospective study explored perceived barriers and facilitators to talent development among 17 intellectually gifted Autistic adults from Australia, the United States, and Canada. Using semi-structured interviews and inductive thematic analysis, the findings revealed two overarching themes: barriers to talent development and facilitators of talent development. Barriers included delayed or absent identification of giftedness and autism, inadequate programming, psychosocial challenges (e.g., imposter syndrome, low self-concept), executive functioning difficulties, bullying, and environmental stressors such as classroom structure and sensory load. Facilitators included self-directed learning, supportive relationships with teachers and parents, psychosocial factors such as intrinsic motivation and self-acceptance, and community acceptance that supported belonging and identity development. Participants consistently reported that earlier identification and dual differentiation may have enhanced both academic and psychosocial outcomes. The findings highlight a need for improved professional learning, systematic identification practices, and strengths-based, context-responsive approaches to support equitable talent development for 2eA students. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Students on the Margins: Giftedness, Twice-Exceptionality, Disability, and Neurodivergence)

22 pages, 1183 KB

Open AccessArticle

Recrafting Financial Learning with ChatGPT: A Co-Constructivist Model of Knowledge

by Christophe Schinckus, Felicia H. L. Chong and Amir Hajbaba

Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(8), 1253; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16081253 - 7 Aug 2026

Abstract

The rapid expansion of ChatGPT in higher education and the increasing adoption of generative AI in the financial industry raise important pedagogical questions for finance education. While existing studies often examine the outcomes, risks, or technical affordances of AI-supported learning, less attention has [...] Read more.

The rapid expansion of ChatGPT in higher education and the increasing adoption of generative AI in the financial industry raise important pedagogical questions for finance education. While existing studies often examine the outcomes, risks, or technical affordances of AI-supported learning, less attention has been given to how ChatGPT may reshape the process through which students construct, apply, and evaluate financial knowledge. This conceptual paper develops a co-constructivist model of ChatGPT-induced financial education. The paper adopts a conceptual research design and deductive construct-mapping approach, using the epistemic categories of episteme (theoretical knowledge), techne (practical application), and epitaktike (directing or commanding knowledge). Through this framework, ChatGPT is conceptualized as a Socratic and dialogical platform that can mediate between financial theory, applied reasoning, and responsible judgement. The paper also proposes a co-constructivist grading rubric that pedagogically operationalizes these epistemic dimensions into observable learning behaviours. This article aims at laying down the conceptual foundations of a co-constructivist ChatGPT-supported student-centred, and ethically guided financial learning environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic AI Adoption in Social Science Education: Personality, Student Engagement, and User Experience on Digital Platforms)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 661 KB

Open AccessArticle

Preparing Preservice Teachers for AI-Supported Classrooms: Perceptions and Competencies, and Psychometric Characteristics of the Survey Instrument

by Aslihan Unal and John Hobe

Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(8), 1252; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16081252 - 6 Aug 2026

Abstract

Preparing future educators for technology-enhanced learning environments has become increasingly important as artificial intelligence (AI) continues to influence teaching and learning. Guided by the Intelligent Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (i-TPACK) framework, this mixed-methods study examined preservice teachers’ perceptions of AI and the competencies [...] Read more.

Preparing future educators for technology-enhanced learning environments has become increasingly important as artificial intelligence (AI) continues to influence teaching and learning. Guided by the Intelligent Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (i-TPACK) framework, this mixed-methods study examined preservice teachers’ perceptions of AI and the competencies they considered necessary for effective AI integration. Participants included 108 preservice teachers enrolled in a teacher preparation program at a public university in the southeastern United States. Data were collected using a survey containing Likert-scale and open-ended questions. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, and independent-samples t-tests, while qualitative responses were analyzed using thematic coding. The exploratory factor analysis identified a four-factor empirical structure that partially corresponded with the original theoretical domains, with varying levels of internal consistency. Preservice teachers generally viewed AI favorably and recognized its potential to support teaching and learning. Participants with internship experience reported significantly higher scores for perceived changes brought by AI and reasons for using AI than those without internship experience. Qualitative findings identified five competencies considered important for responsible AI integration: AI literacy, prompt engineering, critical evaluation, ethical AI use, and pedagogical balance. Participants also expressed concerns about academic dishonesty, misinformation, overreliance on AI, reduced critical thinking, and loss of human interaction. The findings highlight the importance of preparing preservice teachers to integrate AI in pedagogically meaningful and ethically responsible ways. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Being a Teacher in the Era of Artificial Intelligence—Challenges and Opportunities)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 330 KB

Open AccessArticle

From Offices to Vice-Rectorates: Institutional Isomorphism and the Organizational Ascent of Quality Assurance in Chilean Universities

by Ezequiel Martínez-Rojas, Cristian Zahn-Muñoz, Alberto Martínez-Quezada and Emilia Di Piero

Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(8), 1251; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16081251 - 6 Aug 2026

Abstract

Quality assurance has become a major force reordering the contemporary university, and in Chile, its most visible expression is the ascent of quality units, which have moved from peripheral offices to, in many cases, vice-rectorate rank. This article examines that trajectory through a [...] Read more.

Quality assurance has become a major force reordering the contemporary university, and in Chile, its most visible expression is the ascent of quality units, which have moved from peripheral offices to, in many cases, vice-rectorate rank. This article examines that trajectory through a descriptive–comparative documentary analysis reconstructing the hierarchical position of these units in the 51 universities recognized by the Ministry of Education and comparing it with the 2008–2009 and 2019 time points, distinguishing the state, traditional private, and private non-Council of Rectors subsectors. Read through neo-institutional theory, the results show that the quality unit has become universal and has consolidated at the top of the hierarchy, albeit unevenly, since vice-rectorate rank remains almost exclusively a private-sector phenomenon, now spreading to the traditional sector. The analysis is organized as a congruence test between the framework’s expectations and the observed patterns, complemented by exact and trend tests. The resulting distribution is consistent with a reading in which legal coercion accounts for the widespread existence of these units, while imitation and market signaling correspond to their elevation, so that isomorphism produces homogeneity within each subsector and divergence between them. The documentary design, however, describes a form whose substantive integration remains undemonstrated. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Higher Education)

24 pages, 958 KB

Open AccessArticle

Teacher Wellbeing in Bilingual Primary Education: An Exploratory Tensional Ecological Interpretation of Teachers’ Accounts from France and Andalusia (Spain)

by Juan Ramón Guijarro-Ojeda, Leopoldo Medina Sánchez, Brahim Azaoui and Cristina Pérez Valverde

Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(8), 1250; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16081250 - 6 Aug 2026

Abstract

Primary CLIL teacher wellbeing remains underexplored in France and Spain. This exploratory, context-specific qualitative study examined the factors that ten primary teachers, five in France (Montpellier and Lille) and five in Andalusia, associated with their wellbeing. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological framework, enriched with the ontosystem [...] Read more.

Primary CLIL teacher wellbeing remains underexplored in France and Spain. This exploratory, context-specific qualitative study examined the factors that ten primary teachers, five in France (Montpellier and Lille) and five in Andalusia, associated with their wellbeing. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological framework, enriched with the ontosystem and the flourishing/floundering distinction, was used as an interpretive device. The interviews were analysed through reflexive thematic analysis. Participants’ accounts converged around perceived gaps in CLIL-specific training, time, coordination, and human and material resources, while differing in how they interpreted programme stability and recent policy change. The analysis tentatively developed a compensatory pedagogy of affection and a broader pattern of professional delegitimation and identity-related loss. Explicit bilingual professional shame appeared in one account. It also identified native-speaker-oriented linguistic self-demand and an emerging pattern of AI-assisted material adaptation across six accounts. We offer a provisional, context-specific tensional ecological framework to organise the relationships participants described between conditions perceived as structural pressures and personal, relational, formative, and material resources. The framework is intended as a heuristic and hypothesis-generating contribution rather than a validated causal or longitudinal model. The findings identify areas for institutional review and further research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Education and Psychology)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Journal Description

Education Sciences

Latest Articles

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Highly Accessed Articles

Latest Books

E-Mail Alert

News

Topics

Conferences

Special Issues

Topical Collections

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI