Search Results (634)

Open Educational Resources (OER) are increasingly recognized as key tools for promoting quality, inclusive, and equitable education. Their ease of access and the possibility of free adaptation to different contexts contribute to continuous improvement in teaching and learning. Drawing on data collected from teachers and students, this study looks at teachers’ perceptions of OER, how they influence collaboration and educational practices, and the impact of OER on students’ learning and motivation. The findings reveal both enabling and constraining factors and highlight how OER foster teacher collaboration and self-reflection on pedagogical practices. Moreover, the use of OER is associated with active and constructive teaching approaches, positively influencing student engagement. These results are triangulated with data from Likert-scale responses, indicating that students who engage with OER demonstrate significantly higher levels of motivation and deep learning compared to those who do not. Based on these findings, the study recommends implementing strategies to encourage broader integration of OER in classroom settings, alongside ongoing professional development to address existing barriers. In this context, institutional support and community-building initiatives emerge as critical levers to scale the adoption of OER. Finally, the importance of further investigation is emphasized to explore long-term impacts on teaching practices and student outcomes across diverse educational settings Full article

In the face of environmental degradation, social inequality, and technological change—acknowledged as defining challenges of the 21st century—Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) lead educational innovation, integrate sustainability as a transformative axis, and act as key actors in global responses. This study develops and validates a conceptual model that advances the goals of Society 5.0 through the integration of sustainability-oriented STEAM education and AI ethics as strategic drivers of a human-centered, socially inclusive, and technologically relevant learning ecosystem. The model rests on multidisciplinary and project-based learning and active engagement with society and industry. Its validation followed a Design Science Research approach supported by expert interviews, the Sustainable Classroom implementation, and international benchmarking with higher education cases from Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Australia, Uruguay, and the European Union. The combination of the constant comparison method of grounded theory with abductive reasoning ensured theoretical coherence and practical consistency. Triangulation across interviews, classroom implementation, and international cases reinforced robustness, while theoretical saturation, cross-validation, and reflexive safeguards strengthened credibility, controlled bias, and secured data management. Findings confirm that the ethical integration of advanced technologies strengthens citizenship, ecological literacy, and institutional innovation, and establishes a replicable and scalable framework that reorients higher education toward sustainability, ethics, and digital equity, positioning it as a cornerstone of education for Society 5.0 and as a global benchmark for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Full article

Light is a powerful environmental factor with proven effects on human cognitive activity. This study investigated the effects of two types of light—LED with an enhanced long-wavelength spectrum and classic fluorescent—on concentration and attention of undergraduate students. Concentration was assessed through EEG, while attention was evaluated using d2 and TP psychometric tests. The experiment was carried out in a classroom equipped with both lighting systems, with each participant completing two testing sessions under different light conditions, separated by at least seven days to allow for washout. Results showed that during the first administration, LED lighting supported better performance across both EEG and psychometric measures compared to fluorescent light, suggesting enhanced concentration and attention. By the second administration, these differences were less evident, likely due to learning and task familiarization effects. Nonparametric ANOVA-type analyses further indicated that the effect of lighting on performance depended not only on the light type but also on the order of exposure, with students who switched from fluorescent to LED showing improvement, whereas the reverse sequence was associated with a decline. Overall, the findings suggest that LED lighting enriched in warm tones may positively influence attention and concentration, though results should be viewed as exploratory due to the small sample size. Full article

Background/Objectives: During the past decade, incorporating innovative teaching strategies for active learning, such as the use of escape rooms (ERs), has effectively contributed to the acquisition of the necessary skills. This study aimed to assess students’ opinions, engagement, and gameful experience, and to analyse the impact of engagement and gameful experience on students’ opinions about ER activity. Methods: This descriptive-analytical, quantitative, and interventional cross-sectional study was conducted among first-year nursing students enrolled in the Nursing Fundamentals course. The ER activities took place in a faculty classroom. The measure included a questionnaire for assessing students’ opinions about ER activity, engagement while learning through play, and the Gameful Experience Scale. Results: The students reported very positive opinions on the outcomes of escape room activities. According to the students’ perception, solving puzzles required a high level of cognitive, emotional, physical, and other engagement. The experience of learning through play contributed to their increased enjoyment, absorption, and creative thinking, with a low level of negative effects and dominance. Enjoyment, immersion, and creative thinking during the gameful experience explained 49.0% of the variance in students’ opinions on ER activity. Conclusions: ER enabled students to consolidate knowledge from various fields within one lesson, encouraging them to be highly engaged and think creatively, giving them a sense of enjoyment in learning and motivation for further learning. Full article

Despite increased interest in embodied learning, the role of sensorimotor activity in shaping students’ probabilistic reasoning remains underexplored. This design-based study examines how high school students develop key probabilistic concepts, including sample space, certainty, and event probability, through whole-body movement activities situated in an authentic classroom setting. Grounded in embodied cognition theory, we introduce a two-axis interpretive framework. One axis spans sensorimotor exploration and formal reasoning, drawing from established continuums in the literature. The second axis, derived inductively from our analysis, contrasts engagement with distraction, foregrounding the affective and attentional dimensions of embodied participation. Students engaged in structured yet open-ended movement sequences that elicited intuitive insights. This approach, epitomized by one student’s spontaneous question, “Can I use my leg too?”, captures the agentive and improvisational character of the embodied learning environment. Through five analyzed classroom episodes, we trace how students shifted between bodily exploration and formalization, often through nonlinear trajectories shaped by play, uncertainty, and emotionally driven reflection. While moments of insight emerged organically, they were also fragile, as they were affected by ambiguity and the difficulty in translating physical actions into mathematical language. Our findings underscore the pedagogical potential of embodied design for probabilistic learning while also highlighting the need for responsive teaching that balances structure with improvisation and supports affective integration throughout the learning process. Full article

The integration of Artificial Intelligence into education is transforming how abstract and complex concepts are delivered, especially through embodied tools like social robots. This study examines the impact of AlphaMini, a Slovenian-speaking social robot supported by model ChatGPT 4o and trained on structured book-based content, on student engagement during knowledge management lessons. A case study approach was used, including student questionnaires, classroom observations, and post-session discussions, with 70 university students from diverse academic fields. Engagement was assessed across behavioral, emotional, and cognitive dimensions, with comparisons based on prior robot experience. Results show AlphaMini significantly enhanced emotional and behavioral engagement, with moderate cognitive gains. Students familiar with social robots demonstrated higher engagement, interacting more naturally and actively. Informal feedback highlighted positive attitudes toward AlphaMini, especially among students who regularly use generative AI tools like ChatGPT or Copilot. Participants appreciated its human-like gestures, Slovenian language use, and emotionally supportive presence. Many suggested its potential use in primary and inclusive education, where emotional safety and playful interaction are crucial. This study contributes to the growing evidence on AI in education, showing that combining generative AI with social robotics can foster motivation, participation, and emotionally rich learning experiences. Full article

Over the past decade, educators have utilized flipped learning to augment students’ learning outside of the classroom. The COVID-19 pandemic disruptions in regular classroom teaching and learning activities intensified the use of the approach. This entry examines teacher educators’ and pre-service teachers’ perspectives of flipped learning, highlighting the opportunities and challenges during and after the pandemic. This entry also examines how flipped learning impacted educators’ work and pre-service teachers’ learning, which necessitated its continuous development and use in teacher education. A critical analysis of the literature and illustrations from other perspectives highlights the implication of adopting flipped learning and how educators, pre-service teachers, and universities can support the integration of the approach in the curriculum. While the approach provides substantial benefits to both educators and pre-service teachers, integrating digital technologies to adopt the approach presents challenges to practitioners, which need to be addressed with more support for professional development training. This entry contributes to the existing valuable information for policymaking for technological integration in the transformation of teacher education. Full article

Background: Prolonged use of electronic devices in virtual classrooms can influence posture, neck angle, and body discomfort. Recent evidence suggests that not only “incorrect” postures but also sustained static positions, regardless of being ergonomically correct, contribute to musculoskeletal strain. However, limited studies have directly compared posture and discomfort across different types of devices in a virtual classroom setting. Objective: To evaluate differences in posture, neck angle, and body discomfort among female university students during the use of three electronic devices (smartphone, tablet, notebook) in a virtual classroom for 20 min. Methods: Twenty-four healthy female participants (aged 18–23 years) completed three randomized sessions using a smartphone, tablet, or notebook in a virtual classroom task. Posture was assessed using the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), neck angle was measured via motion analysis, and body discomfort was rated with a standardized visual analog scale. Statistical analyses were performed using repeated-measures ANOVA with Bonferroni correction, with effect sizes reported. Results: Significant differences were observed in posture (RULA scores: smartphone 5.12 ± 1.26; tablet 4.62 ± 1.35; notebook 4.21 ± 1.32, p < 0.05), neck angle (smartphone 32.48 ± 11.81 and tablet 36.93 ± 7.97, p > 0.05; notebook 39.30 ± 7.82, p > 0.05), and body discomfort of all regions (VAS: smartphone 1.08 ± 1.69; tablet 1.06 ± 1.75; notebook 1.01 ± 1.66, p < 0.05). Although all devices induced discomfort after 20 min of sustained posture, the smartphone condition showed the greatest neck flexion and discomfort. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that sustained posture during virtual classroom activities leads to increased neck angle deviation and body discomfort, with device type influencing the magnitude of these effects. These findings highlight the importance of postural variability and active breaks, rather than relying solely on maintaining a “correct” posture, to reduce musculoskeletal strain in technology-based learning environments. Full article

Background: Gamification may enhance engagement and higher-order learning in health-care profession education, but evidence from undergraduate nursing programs—particularly in the Middle East—is limited. We evaluated whether integrating structured gamified activities into an anatomy and physiology course improves class engagement and knowledge-based critical thinking. Methods: In this pragmatic, nonrandomized, section-allocated quasi-experimental study at a single Saudi institution, 121 first-year female nursing students were assigned by existing cohorts to traditional instruction (control; n = 61) or instruction enhanced with gamified elements (intervention; n = 60) groups. The intervention (introduced mid-semester) comprised time-limited competitive quizzing with immediate feedback and aligned puzzle tasks. Outcomes were measured at baseline, mid-semester, and end-semester using a four-item Class Engagement Rubric (CER; scale 1–5) and a 40-item high-cognitive multiple-choice (MCQ) assessment mapped to course objectives. Analyses used paired and independent t-tests with effect sizes and 95% confidence intervals. Results: No attrition occurred. From baseline to end-semester, the intervention group had a mean CER increase of 0.59 points (95% CI, 0.42 to 0.76; p < 0.001)—approximately a 15% relative gain—and a mean MCQ increase of 0.30 points (95% CI, 0.18 to 0.42; p < 0.001), an ~8% relative gain. The control group showed no material change over the same interval. Between-group differences in change favored the intervention across CER items and for the MCQ outcome. Semester grade-point average did not differ significantly between groups (p = 0.055). Conclusions: Embedding a brief, structured gamification package within an undergraduate nursing anatomy and physiology course was associated with measurable improvements in classroom engagement and modest gains in knowledge-based critical thinking, with no detectable effect on overall semester GPA. Given the nonrandomized, single-site design, causal inference is limited. Multi-site randomized trials using validated critical-thinking instruments are warranted to confirm effectiveness and define dose, durability, and generalizability. Full article

Active learning promises richer engagement, yet transnational English-medium engineering classrooms can remain quiet even when students are motivated. This study aims to explain this silence by examining the factors that encourage students to participate, the barriers that discourage them, and how student characteristics and coping strategies influence their participation. We conducted a mixed-methods survey of 402 undergraduates (Years 2–4) in a China–United Kingdom (Sino-UK) joint engineering programme in China. We analysed the closed-ended responses using descriptive and inferential statistics (including effect sizes) and the open-ended responses using inductive thematic analysis. Quantitative results showed that interest in the subject (76.6%) and career relevance (72.8%) were the most potent motivators. In contrast, fear of making mistakes (56%) and low confidence in public speaking (51%) were the most common barriers to participation. Other constraints included language load, deference to instructors, and prior passive learning experiences. Gender and discipline differences were negligible (Cramér’s V ≤ 0.09; Cohen’s d < 0.20). A small year-of-study effect also emerged, with later-year students marginally more confident in English-medium interactions. Qualitative analysis revealed recurring themes of evaluation anxiety, demands for technical vocabulary, inconsistent participation expectations, and reliance on private coping strategies (e.g., pre-class preparation, peer support, and after-class queries). We propose a ‘motivated-but-silent’ learner profile and blocked-pathway model where cultural, linguistic, and psychological filters prevent motivation from becoming classroom voice, refining Self-Determination Theory/Expectancy–Value Theory (SDT/EVT) and Willingness to Communicate (WTC) theories for transnational engineering contexts. These findings inform practice by recommending psychological safety measures, discipline-specific language scaffolds, and culturally responsive pedagogy to unlock student voice in English-medium Instruction/Transnational Education (EMI/TNE) settings. Full article

There is increasing interest in integrating various forms of Information and Communication technologies (ICT) into education. Well-established theoretical guidelines should guide the integration of these technologies. A flipped classroom is an example of an educational approach that integrates ICT and is guided by an active learning philosophy. The current study aims to evaluate participants’ acceptance of the flipped learning instructional model using six indicators—perceived usefulness, ease of use, hedonic motivation, attitude, self-efficacy, and educational quality—and to assess overall satisfaction. Additionally, it examines how these factors relate to overall satisfaction with this approach. The study utilized a descriptive cross-sectional research design with an exploratory and correlational orientation. The target population for this study included undergraduate students enrolled in the “Computer Applications in Education” course offered by the College of Education over three consecutive semesters: the second semester of the 2023/2024 academic year and the first and second semesters of 2024/2025. All students in this course experienced the flipped learning model as part of their instructional activities. Out of the 180 students, 137 completed the data collection tool, which was a questionnaire. The results showed that participants’ acceptance of the flipped learning approach was generally positive, ranging from moderate to high across all measured dimensions. The majority reported high levels of hedonic motivation, positive attitudes, perceived educational quality, and ease of use of the flipped learning requirements. Students found the flipped learning experience enjoyable, effective, and manageable. They believed it enhanced their learning and reported moderate self-efficacy and perceived usefulness. While satisfaction with flipped learning was moderate overall, it was strongly associated with enjoyment, positive attitudes, self-efficacy, and perceived educational quality, as evident in the results of the correlation analysis. Regression analysis revealed that these four factors were significantly associated with students’ satisfaction, whereas perceived usefulness and ease of use were not significantly associated when considered alongside other variables. These results suggest that emotional engagement, confidence, and perceived educational value are key contributors to students’ satisfaction with flipped learning. Full article

One challenge faced by many educators is strongly engaging students to improve their intrinsic motivation in learning. This paper describes the design and beta testing of two educational escape rooms targeted towards teaching students concepts related to field robotics—an area in which educational escape rooms have yet to be used. These table-top activities are designed to strongly engage students with robotics-centric puzzles, a fun narrative, and collaborative problem-solving, with validation provided by an electronic decoder box. The sets of puzzles were beta-tested by teams of academics with a robotics background and by undergraduate students. The results indicate that participants had a high level of enjoyment and intrinsic motivation to partake in the activities, although the difficulty and in-game dynamics of some of the tasks will need to be modified for widespread deployment in the classroom. Full article

This study presents a systematic review of the literature on teaching techniques that enhance student motivation and academic performance across basic, secondary, and higher education levels. The review is grounded in the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, highlighting their decisive roles in engagement and achievement. The analysis focuses on active learning methodologies such as project-based learning, collaborative learning, gamification, and flipped classrooms. It identifies the mechanisms by which each approach fosters students’ interest, sense of competence, and persistence. Four international databases were consulted, and studies published between 2000 and 2024 reporting quantitative measures of motivation and/or performance were selected. Five investigations met all eligibility criteria and were assessed for methodological quality. The results indicate moderate motivational effects, especially when interventions last at least eight weeks, provide frequent feedback, and place students at the center of authentic problem-solving. Greater gains were also observed in STEM disciplines and in contexts that encourage peer collaboration. Based on these findings, practical recommendations are proposed for educators: structure interdisciplinary projects, incorporate playful elements in the initial stages of formal education, combine autonomous work with small-group discussions, and use data analysis tools to deliver personalized feedback. The study concludes that adopting diverse, student-centered pedagogical practices enhances motivation and academic achievement, leading to deeper and more lasting learning outcomes. Full article

This qualitative action research case study explored how a blended literacy learning intervention combining the flipped classroom model with youth-selected multimodal texts influenced sixth-grade Academic Intervention Services (AIS) students’ comprehension of figurative language. The study was conducted over four months in a New York State middle school and involved seven students identified as at-risk readers. Initially, students engaged with teacher-created instructional videos outside of class and completed analytical activities during class time. However, due to low engagement and limited comprehension gains, the intervention was revised to incorporate student autonomy through the selection of multimodal texts such as graphic novels, song lyrics, and YouTube videos. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, journal entries, surveys, and classroom artifacts, and then analyzed using inductive coding and member checking. Findings indicate that students demonstrated increased the comprehension of figurative language when given choice in both texts and instructional videos. Participants reported increased motivation, deeper engagement, and enhanced meaning-making, particularly when reading texts that reflected their personal interests and experiences. The study concludes that a blended literacy model emphasizing autonomy and multimodality can support comprehension and bridge the gap between in-school and out-of-school literacy practices. Full article

Artificial intelligence is transforming higher education, particularly in flipped classroom settings, in which students learn independently prior to class and collaborate during in-person sessions. This study examines the role of ChatGPT as a virtual peer in a veterinary anatomy course centered on cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Over two academic years (2023–2025), 297 first-year veterinary students worked in small groups to explore anatomy through structured prompts in English and Spanish using ChatGPT versions 3.5 and 4. Activities involved analyzing AI output, evaluating anatomical accuracy, and suggesting alternative names for vascular variations. Learning outcomes were assessed using Bloom’s Taxonomy-based questions, and student perceptions were captured via online surveys. Progressive performance improvement was noted across three instructional phases, particularly in higher-level cognitive tasks (Bloom level 4). Responses to English prompts were more accurate than those to Spanish prompts. While students appreciated ChatGPT’s role in reinforcing knowledge and sparking discussion, they also flagged inaccuracies and emphasized the need for critical evaluation. Peer collaboration was found to be more influential than chatbot input. Conclusions: ChatGPT can enrich flipped anatomy instruction when paired with structured guidance. It supports content review, fosters group learning and promotes reflective thinking. However, developing digital literacy and ensuring expert oversight are essential to maximizing the educational value of AI. Full article