Search Results (795)

This study examined the implementation and instructional effectiveness of a multimodal AI-supported instructional framework integrating a generative AI assistant (Microsoft Copilot) with a speech-recognition-based mobile learning application (Mondly) to support productive vocabulary development in EFL higher education. Unlike studies focusing on single AI tools, this study evaluates a coordinated dual-module instructional configuration combining LLM-based lexical support with ASR-based spoken retrieval practice within a structured classroom routine. The proposed framework can be viewed as a lightweight socio-technical instructional arrangement in which learners engage with complementary AI components through guided feedback and repeated practice. A quasi-experimental pretest–post-test control group design was conducted over an eleven-week semester with 64 first-year EFL students at an Iraqi university. Productive vocabulary knowledge was measured using the Productive Vocabulary Levels Test (PVLT), and data were analyzed using mixed-design ANOVA. Results revealed a statistically significant Time × Group interaction with a large effect size, indicating greater productive vocabulary gains in the AI-supported condition compared with traditional instruction. Qualitative findings further suggested perceived improvements in lexical retrieval, sentence construction, pronunciation accuracy, and learner engagement. From an instructional perspective, the findings suggest that learning gains were associated with the coordinated use of complementary AI tools within a structured classroom workflow. This study provides a practical instructional model that may be adaptable to comparable resource-constrained higher-education contexts. Full article

This study examines how first-year Initial Teacher Education (ITE) students navigate early career development through critical turning points, the articulation of personal values, and the development of resilience. While teacher identity and professional formation have been explored conceptually, there remains limited empirical insight into students’ lived experiences at this formative stage. Adopting a qualitative design, in-depth interviews were conducted with 21 first-year ITE students from three UK universities, representing diverse cultural backgrounds and entry pathways, at the end of their first academic year. Data were analysed using a general inductive approach. Four interconnected themes emerged: clarifying purpose through critical turning points, negotiating tensions between personal values and institutional expectations, building resilience through community and reflective practice, and articulating meaning through spiritual perspectives in early teacher development. The findings demonstrate that formative experiences are not isolated events but are embedded within broader developmental trajectories shaped by relational support and opportunities for meaning-making. The study contributes to wider debates on early professional identity formation by offering an integrated, empirically grounded account of how purpose, values, and resilience interact to shape sustainable career pathways. Implications are discussed for ITE programme design and for supporting early-career development in the teaching profession and beyond. Full article

Financial literacy is critical for individual well-being and sustainable economic development, yet significant gaps remain among Portuguese young adults. Using a two-phase design, this study combines a diagnostic assessment and multi-criteria decision analysis to identify and prioritise effective financial education strategies. In Phase 1, a diagnostic questionnaire administered to 172 first-year university students revealed pronounced deficiencies in core financial concepts. Only 29.1% correctly answered a question on compound interest, and almost half were unable to understand the concept of inflation. Additionally, 62.8% reported low exposure to financial education during compulsory schooling, and 59.9% strongly agreed that it should be included in the mandatory curriculum, indicating both unmet need and strong receptiveness. Phase 2 employed the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to evaluate five educational alternatives across four criteria. Engagement and motivation (0.32) and knowledge acquisition (0.31) were prioritised over behavioural impact (0.22) and accessibility (0.15). Based on expert assessments weighted by student preferences, in-person courses emerged as the most effective strategy (0.42), substantially outperforming online courses (0.22), videos and digital content (0.14), books (0.13), and games (0.10). The findings point to the need for policy-driven integration of structured, educator-led financial education within formal curricula, supported by approaches that prioritise active engagement and knowledge acquisition over convenience, with digital tools serving as complements rather than replacements. Full article

The present study investigates the relationship between initial learner motivation, engagement, and pragmatic development within a self-access web-based instructional environment. Focused on the development of awareness and production of English email requests to faculty, the study involved 65 first-year English Studies students at a Spanish public university. Motivation was assessed qualitatively through open-ended responses which were classified as having Pragmatic orientation, Linguistic orientation, or No orientation. Engagement was captured multidimensionally via project-linked indices of behavioural, cognitive, and affective involvement. Findings reveal that initial motivation predicted greater overall engagement, including increased time invested and deeper cognitive processing. A distinct modality gap was identified: while engagement related positively to pragmatic gains, it exerted stronger effects on awareness than production. Most crucially, profile analyses revealed that sustained engagement can override initial motivational deficits. Learners who entered the module with no initial orientation but still engaged at a moderate level significantly outperformed unmotivated, disengaged peers and achieved gains comparable to those of more motivated students. These findings underscore the mediating role of engagement in pragmatic instruction and advocate for specific motivational and engagement assessments over general scales to better account for the effects of these individual differences in L2 pragmatic gains. Full article

Nurses are healthcare professionals who can play a leading role in preventing antimicrobial resistance, given their direct assistance to patients. For this reason, in-depth university training is desirable. This study was conducted to detect possible weak points in the university training about an important public health topic represented by general knowledge about antibiotics and antibiotic resistance. We carried out a survey on Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of students attending the Nursing Sciences course at the University of Messina, Italy, by administering an online standardised questionnaire that included general and specific questions about antibiotics and antibiotic resistance. General and specific scores were calculated. Some gaps were found about the knowledge of antibiotics (mean score: 3.6/4) and, especially, antibiotic resistance (mean score: 3.2/5). As expected, most of the incorrect answers to both antibiotic and antibiotic-resistance knowledge were given by students in the first year, but some gaps were also found among students in the last year. Given the growing role nurses can play in combating antibiotic resistance, these findings point to a possible information gap in the study course and highlight the need to enhance the current university training programmes with activities designed to increase knowledge on these important public health issues. Full article

Background/Objectives: Prevention of virus-related cancers is a multifaceted process shaped by vaccination and public awareness. This study assessed awareness of virus–cancer relationships and willingness to vaccinate against a cancer-associated virus among medical and non-medical students. We also evaluated whether human papillomavirus (HPV)-vaccinated students demonstrate greater awareness of the HPV-cancer link compared to unvaccinated students, and examined willingness to vaccinate against a certain cancer-associated virus according to HPV vaccination status. Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted in Poland (October 2023–June 2024) and included 1013 first- and second-year university students recruited via convenience sampling. Participation was voluntary and anonymous. Results: Awareness of virus–cancer relationships was low, ranging from 19% for Epstein–Barr virus-related cancers to 43.8% for HPV-related cervical cancer. Women were more likely than men to recognize the HPV–cervical cancer link (OR = 2.08, p < 0.001), supporting gender differences and the need for gender-neutral HPV education with targeted strategies for men. Medical students demonstrated higher awareness than non-medical students. HPV vaccination coverage was low (14.5%), with higher uptake among medical students (21.2% vs. 8.2%). Notably, 41.3% of non-medical students and 7.5% of medical students had never heard of HPV vaccination. Willingness to vaccinate against a cancer-associated virus varied according to perceived infection risk. Conclusions: These findings highlight the need for targeted educational interventions to improve awareness of HPV–cancer links and risk perception, as well as to ensure ongoing education of both HPV-vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals to support informed health decisions and vaccine acceptance. Full article

College dropout is a global challenge due to its high prevalence and its consequences for individuals, institutions, and society, particularly in terms of institutional sustainability, inefficient use of public resources, and human capital loss. This issue is especially salient in engineering, where first-year dropout rates remain high. This study examines factors associated with first-year dropout among engineering students at a Chilean public university, framing dropout as a sustainability challenge for higher education systems. The analysis combines administrative records ($n=825$) with survey data on psychosocial variables ($n=417$). Results show that admission to a first-choice program and early performance are strongly associated with persistence, highlighting admission alignment and early university experience as factors contributing to the sustainable use of institutional resources. Despite equivalent academic performance across genders, a marked discrepancy emerged between students’ high self-reported confidence and limited implementation of learning strategies. Cluster analysis identified a clear performance gradient across socio-educational profiles, with students combining high academic capital, low socioeconomic vulnerability, and first-choice admission showing the most favorable outcomes. These findings underscore the relevance of admission preference, trajectories, and socio-educational context for first-year persistence, with implications for institutional sustainability and the consolidation of human capital in engineering education. Full article

The word “energy” is one of the most used in our daily language. People are constantly reminded to save energy, use it efficiently, and increase the use of renewable energy, which is much more environmentally friendly than non-renewable energy. Citizens need to develop a good level of energy literacy, that is, a general predisposition, and, at the same time, a competence for engaging in desirable behaviours in the area of energy consumption. Teachers are a key element in promoting energy literacy. This article aims to compare the energy literacy of first- and third-year students enrolled in the 3 year long Basic Education undergraduate programme of a Portuguese university, who will become primary school teachers. To attain the research objective, 203 prospective teachers (first year: 98; third year: 105) were invited to answer a questionnaire on knowledge about energy (cognitive dimension), behaviour (behavioural dimension) concerning energy, and attitudes (affective dimension) toward energy. Concerning the cognitive dimension, statistically significant differences were obtained between first and third year groups and between third year rural and urban participants; differences between participants with parents with diverse levels of education are not statistically significant. The same applies to comparisons within the affective and the behavioural dimensions. Even though participants seem to believe that they know more than they do, the undergraduate programme in Basic Education seems to cause a small improvement, which is not enough for prospective teachers to reach a good level of energy literacy. Therefore, more attention should be paid to the development, in the Basic Education programme, of energy literacy, considering its diverse dimensions. Full article

Students’ profiles are influenced by a variety of contextual variables. Over a period of eleven years, a variety of these variables was selected to determine why some students perform better than others. The main purpose of this paper is to record and report on the results of the investigation. The main research task was to document combinations of variables and admission requirements according to students’ profiles (N = 9035), and to identify trends and possible patterns contributing to the success of educational studies. The integrated theoretical lens aligns with South Africa’s national focus on equity, access, and success, providing insight into how institutional practices and student diversity intersect. A quantitative research method was used. The study concluded that unique combinations of variables contribute to first-year accounting students’ success. The value of the study contributes to student profiles, in particular, gender, race, marks and subject choices, pre-university knowledge and admission requirements that could predict student success. Full article

Background: It is well known that the university period is an important stage for young adults, involving significant academic and psychosocial adjustments. Students with greater Mental Health Literacy (MHL), which is defined as the knowledge, beliefs, and skills individuals have regarding mental health and mental illness, are better able to identify difficulties, seek help, and adopt healthier coping strategies. This study aims to describe the MHL levels of undergraduate health students and identify associated factors related to academic life, mental health and psychological state. Methods: A cross-sectional, self-administered, web-based survey was conducted using a non-probability sampling strategy among undergraduate students in health-related degrees at a Portuguese higher-education institution. Data was collected using a general characterization questionnaire and the following instruments: MHL Questionnaire, Academic Life Satisfaction, Subjective Happiness Scale, Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWBS), and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale. Bivariate and linear regression analyses were employed to identify factors associated with MHL. Results: A total of 306 students (79% female, mean age = 21.6 years; 59% nursing students) participated. The median MHL score was 70 (range: 30–80). The linear regression model explained 17.5% of the variance in MHL. Higher MHL levels were associated with having the course as a first choice, holding a previous degree, reporting taking psychotropic medication use (which may reflect previous mental health service utilization), and higher levels of psychological well-being. Conclusions: This study provides evidence on factors associated with MHL among undergraduate health students, suggesting that higher MHL is associated with greater psychological well-being, highlighting the potential importance of integrating strategies to promote MHL and psychological well-being in health and nursing education. However, these findings should be interpreted with caution due to the single-institution convenience sample, potential self-selection and reporting biases, and cross-sectional design, which limits causal inferences. Full article

The objective of this study is to develop and incorporate a multidisciplinary engineering design experience into an academic success and professional development course that aims to retain non-calculus-ready first-year engineering students. The project followed the five-step engineering design process using knowledge from multiple engineering disciplines. Students were tasked to design a scale model of a safe, sustainable, and cost-efficient oil derrick with PASCO kits, engage in discussion to consider societal, global, cultural, and further factors in design, practice an elevator pitch with entrepreneurship specialists from the university start-up incubator, and present the final design to a multidisciplinary judge panel from academia and industry in engineering, math, social science, and business at a Poster Expo. This project-based learning aligned with the student outcomes of ABET and the Engineering for One Planet framework for sustainability education in engineering. Opportunities and challenges of this multidisciplinary learning experience were analyzed using triangulated data sources from student course performance, a student perception survey (N = 16; Cronbach’s α = 0.959), and student retention data. Results showed a positive student learning experience with 88% of students reporting that the multidisciplinary design experience was positive to their learning and increased their interest in engineering. Ninety-four percent of student retention in engineering was reported by the end of the semester (N = 17). Full article

Genetically modified foods represent an important application of modern biotechnology and remain a subject of public debate. Attitudes toward consumption are more likely to be influenced by varying levels of scientific knowledge. University students from the College of Science and the College of Agricultural and Food Sciences at King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia, are expected to possess the basic knowledge that may affect their attitudes toward consumption of genetically modified foods. This study aimed to assess undergraduate students’ knowledge as a predictor of future attitudes toward consumption of genetically modified foods. Using a descriptive method, an electronic questionnaire was administered to a random sample of 300 participants during the first semester of the academic year 2025/2026. Data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and t-tests. The results indicate that students possess a moderate level of scientific knowledge. Their future attitudes toward consuming genetically modified foods were also moderate. Prior studying of genetics and biotechnology courses significantly affects students’ scientific knowledge and future attitudes toward consumption of genetically modified food. The students strongly supported strict regulations, but they expressed hesitation regarding consumption regardless of scientific assurances of safety. No statistically significant differences in knowledge or attitudes based on specialization or gender were found. The authors recommend integrating ethical and social considerations of this kind of food into educational curricula to support informed decision-making among future professionals. Full article

The overuse of social media is a multidimensional phenomenon with the capacity to influence the academic environment. Thus, this study aimed to establish the relationship between social media addiction and academic engagement in university students. The research employed a quantitative approach, a non-experimental design, a correlational scope, and a cross-sectional analysis. The population comprised 1200 students (65.3% female) with an average age of 21.4 years from the Faculty of Health Sciences at the National University of Chimborazo, in Riobamba, Ecuador, during the first academic term of 2023. Data were collected using the Utrecht Academic Engagement Scale and the Social Media Addiction Questionnaire. A total of 95.8% of participants had sufficient academic engagement, and 93.7% had a medium level of social media addiction. There was a statistically significant (p < 0.01) negative correlation between the variables of academic engagement and social media addiction (including their respective dimensions), with a mild-to-moderate intensity, as indicated by Pearson r values ranging from −0.101 to −0.297. Significant associations were found between the social media used by participants and their connection frequency, and significant associations were also found between their primary use of social media and the main reason perceived by participants for controlling their use. Full article

Background/Objectives: Emotional eating is a behavioral pattern in which individuals increase food intake in response to emotional states rather than physiological hunger. University students are particularly vulnerable due to academic stress, lifestyle changes, and a food environment dominated by highly palatable options. Although emotional eating has been associated with adiposity and metabolic alterations, evidence in Mexican university populations remains limited. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of emotional eating and to examine its association with anthropometric and biochemical indicators in students from the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro (UAQ). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 670 first-year university students participating in the SU SALUD-UAQ clinical evaluation. Emotional eating was assessed using the 10-item Emotional Eater Questionnaire (EEQ). Anthropometric measures (body mass index BMI, body fat percentage, and waist circumference) and biochemical markers (triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and glucose) were obtained through standardized clinical procedures. Associations were evaluated using multivariable linear and logistic regression models adjusted for sex, age, physical activity level, sleep duration, stress, and socioeconomic status. Results: The prevalence of emotional eating categories was as follows: non-emotional (33.5%), low emotional (31.1%), emotional (27.6%), and highly emotional (7.8%). Higher EEQ scores were independently associated with greater BMI, body fat percentage, and waist circumference in both sexes. In women, emotional eating was also independently associated with less favorable lipid profiles. In addition, students classified as emotional or highly emotional eaters showed higher odds of general and abdominal obesity, particularly among women. Conclusions: Emotional eating is highly prevalent among Mexican university students and is independently associated with increased adiposity in both sexes and with altered lipid profiles in women. These findings highlight the relevance of integrating emotional regulation strategies into university health programs as a component of comprehensive health promotion approaches aimed at addressing emotional eating and its associated anthropometric and metabolic correlates in young adults. Full article

Introduction: Despite the growing emphasis on inclusion, evidence on the longitudinal effects of consecutive training pathways in physical activity remains limited, particularly within initial university-level education. Objective: To assess the impact of a consecutive inclusive physical activity training pathway on the academic and professional development of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences students, focusing on academic self-concept, perceptions of educational inclusion, and evaluations of theoretical and practical training. Method: A longitudinal, quantitative repeated-measures design was employed across one full academic year. University students responded to questionnaires at three time points (R1, R2, and R3), corresponding to key phases of the training pathway. Within-subject analyses were conducted to examine changes over time throughout the complete course sequence. Results: Significant reductions were observed in academic self-concept, perceived academic performance, and academic self-efficacy across the training pathway. Concurrently, significant improvements were found in key dimensions of inclusive practice, particularly in methodology, supports, and community participation, whereas the conception of diversity remained stable. Perceived adequacy of theoretical training increased progressively over time, while perceived adequacy of practical training improved following the first course and subsequently stabilized. Conclusions: The training pathway positively influences students’ preparedness for inclusive education. However, the findings suggest the need to strengthen structured practical experiences that facilitate the transfer of learning to professional practice. Full article