Education Sciences

Several major studies require that students understand and master the concepts and procedures of mathematics. More specifically, an area of mathematics such as algebra requires students to be able to simplify, operate with, or solve fractions. Many students entering university show numerous shortcomings and errors, especially when simplifying algebraic fractions. This is why we conducted a study using eye-tracking techniques to better understand how students process these types of exercises in attentional terms, comparing students who can handle them successfully against those who show errors in their procedures. For this purpose, we evaluated the eye movements of 64 students from different university majors to characterize the attentional–visual strategies they use to simplify four different algebraic fraction exercises. We found that each type of simplification exercise needs a specific strategy where some parts of the rational algebraic expressions are cognitively relevant. Students with correct answers tend to allocate attention to these elements. Students with incorrect answers tend to find similar expressions with the intention to cancel them out, without applying any metacognitive thinking. The rational algebraic expression needs to be taught in a more conceptual manner than procedural.

Although much research in environmental and sustainability education has focused on knowledge and awareness, fewer studies have examined how school-based projects can foster young learners’ capacity for action. This study investigates how emancipatory, school-based environmental projects can foster young learners’ foundational capacities for contributing to a more sustainable and caring future. Grounded in the Bildung perspective and the action competence framework, a 16-week intervention was implemented with Grade 8 students who collaboratively identified and addressed authentic environmental issues—such as waste mismanagement, sanitation concerns, and safety risks—within their school community. Using a concurrent mixed-methods design, quantitative data from the Student Action Competence Questionnaire were integrated with qualitative evidence from worksheets and reflective journals. Results show consistent improvement across all dimensions of action competence, particularly in democratic collaboration and students’ willingness to take shared responsibility for environmental well-being. Qualitative findings reveal the development of critical reflection, co-creation with school stakeholders, and a growing sense of social responsibility, as students engaged in activities ranging from redesigning waste systems to proposing improvements through official communication channels. Rather than focusing on large-scale environmental outcomes, the projects cultivated everyday practices of care, participation, and ethical awareness—key dispositions for inspiring long-term change toward a greener and more sustainable future. The study highlights how context-based, dialogic learning can empower students as emerging environmental citizens within their immediate communities.

Many countries around the world require some or all schools to develop and implement a school improvement plan (SIP), which is a tool intended to guide the identification of school-specific needs for improvement along with a series of priorities, goals, and actions to help address those needs. Yet, the literature on this topic remains rather sparse. In this article, we conducted a systematic review of the international literature on SIPs published from 2010 through 2025, identifying 62 relevant articles for analysis. We organized this review’s findings around six areas related to SIP development and implementation: assessing current conditions, determining needs, setting direction, organizing resources, taking action, and evaluating progress. Findings suggest that while divergences exist between contexts with respect to these six areas, there are considerable convergences in how educators and others conceptualize and interact with SIPs. We close with recommendations for future research that both strengthens and broadens the extant literature on SIPs.

As professional development (PD) programs aimed at improving early childhood educators’ teaching efficacy in integrated STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) become more prevalent, understanding how best to evaluate their outcomes is increasingly important. This study compared two self-report survey designs commonly adopted in program evaluation—traditional pre-test–post-test (TPP) and retrospective pre-test (RPP)–post-test—within a year-long integrated STEM PD initiative for early childhood educators. Twenty-five educators completed the TPP survey, fifty-five completed the RPP survey, and a subset of twenty-four completed both. This study investigates whether these two designs differ in detecting change in teaching efficacy in literacy, mathematics, science, and nutrition. Findings revealed statistically significant increases across all content areas using both survey methods, with large effect sizes. Comparisons between traditional and retrospective pre-test scores showed no statistically significant differences, suggesting that response shift bias may not have meaningfully affected results in this context. The findings indicate that either survey approach can be appropriate for measuring affective outcomes such as self-efficacy. Informed by these findings and prior research, this study concludes that the choice between traditional and retrospective survey designs should be guided by practical considerations, such as program setting, time and efficiency, and constructs measured, and not only by the validity and reliability of the specific survey design. These results offer valuable guidance for evaluators seeking efficient and valid tools for assessing PD in early childhood teacher education and suggest the need for further research exploring different self-report measures in diverse educational contexts.