You are currently viewing a new version of our website. To view the old version click .

Education Sciences

Education Sciences is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal on education, published monthly online by MDPI.
The European Network of Sport Education (ENSE) is affiliated with Education Sciences and its members receive discounts on the article processing charges.
Quartile Ranking JCR - Q1 (Education and Educational Research)

All Articles (7,265)

To date, it remains unclear how students position themselves within the tension between participation, achievement, and body norms in physical education (PE), as well as what role participatory structures play in this process. This paper, therefore, investigates the intersection of these dimensions by examining students’ experiences of participation in PE settings characterized by a high degree of diversity. Theoretically, the study is grounded in concepts of participatory and diversity-sensitive didactics, which serve as analytical frameworks for examining school practices. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with secondary school students across different grade levels. The data were analyzed using structured qualitative content analysis, yielding five main categories: moments of participation, self-positioning, understanding of the body, understanding of performance, and performance requirements. These categories are illustrated and interrelated through three exemplary student portraits. The findings indicate that participation in PE is a dynamic and negotiated process, shaped by teachers’ orientations and students’ agency, social dynamics, and prevailing body and performance norms. While some students benefit from inclusive practices, others encounter structural and symbolic barriers. The study highlights the potential of participatory, diversity-sensitive, and sensitizing teaching to foster agency, challenge exclusionary norms, and enable meaningful engagement for all students. These insights contribute to current debates on diversity, inclusion, and democratic education in PE.

16 December 2025

Category system with five main categories and relevant subcategories.

Spanish educational legislation on cultural diversity has shifted in five decades from homogenizing frameworks to an explicit commitment to inclusion and interculturality. This article reports a qualitative documentary analysis of state laws and Royal Decrees from the Ley 14/1970 General de Educación to the Ley Orgánica 3/2020, de 29 de diciembre, por la que se modifica la Ley Orgánica 2/2006, de Educación to examine how cultural and linguistic diversity is conceptualized, how it is embedded in a competence-based curriculum, and which tools are provided for its implementation. The analysis addresses three dimensions: (a) policy conceptions of diversity, (b) curricular instruments (competences, learning situations, assessment), and (c) implementation mechanisms (resources, teacher development, equity monitoring). Results indicate a move from compensatory and assimilationist logics to rights-based, competence-based formulations, with clearer references to dialogue, mediation, and non-discrimination, but also a persistent gap between legal texts and school realities. The study concludes that the current framework enables more observable and assessable intercultural aims, while its impact depends on concrete support for school and teachers. This diachronic perspective on a medium-sized European system offers transferable insights for other countries seeking to embed intercultural competences and equity in curriculum assessment and teacher development.

16 December 2025

This article examines Australian high school students’ knowledge of food and fibre industries based on their exposure to agriculture. This research explores the agricultural knowledge of students from year 7 to 10 students (N = 2603) from 47 schools across Australia in 2021. Through a survey, agricultural knowledge questions were classified into livestock (LK), crops (CK) and general knowledge (GK). Exposure to agricultural environments based on location and farming exposure were compared between the groups to assess their level of knowledge achieved. Agricultural knowledge levels in the CK and GK groups were comparable, with both significantly higher than LK. Exposure to agriculture impacted the level of knowledge achieved, increasing as students gained more exposure, particularly in livestock. The results highlight the importance of experiential learning to enhance student knowledge of agriculture. Future research should explore what the expected agricultural literacy is of Australian secondary students for each grade level, requiring benchmarks to be established.

16 December 2025

Promoting empowerment regarding the SDGs among students requires teaching practices based on a student-centered approach. Storytelling has gained prominence as a tool to increase student engagement, critical thinking, and more equitable school environments. While its benefits for students are well documented, less is known about the factors influencing teachers’ willingness to adopt storytelling. The Erasmus+ project PLACES aims to support the implementation of the SDGs in Belgium, Denmark, Greece, and Italy. This study, conducted during the need analysis phase, investigates the psychological and contextual dimensions associated with teachers’ use of storytelling as a practice to promote the SDGs. Self-efficacy, attitudes, time-related, didactic barriers, and the perceived organizational climate for innovation within schools were investigated by 5-point Likert scales. A quantitative analysis was conducted using hierarchical regression and moderation models based on data collected through a questionnaire administered to 138 primary and low-secondary schools’ teachers from Italy, Belgium, and Greece. Results showed that teachers’ self-efficacy is significantly associated with storytelling use, and this relationship is moderated by perceived school climate for innovation. Moreover, the lack of didactic support is relevant. These findings underline the importance of strengthening individual and contextual enablers in teacher training and school leadership to promote the SDGs.

16 December 2025

News & Conferences

Issues

Open for Submission

Editor's Choice

Reprints of Collections

Problem-Based Learning in Science Education
Reprint

Problem-Based Learning in Science Education

Achievements, Pitfalls and Ways Forward, 2nd Edition
Editors: Laurinda Leite, Luís Dourado
Agency in Teaching and Learning with Digital Technology
Reprint

Agency in Teaching and Learning with Digital Technology

Opportunities and Challenges
Editors: Irina Engeness, Siv M. Gamlem

Get Alerted

Add your email address to receive forthcoming issues of this journal.

XFacebookLinkedIn
Educ. Sci. - ISSN 2227-7102