Search Results (9,274)

Universal Design for Learning (UDL), an inclusive educational framework rooted in cognitive neuroscience, presents a promising approach to confronting the challenges faced by English as a Foreign language (EFL) learners by promoting flexibility in teaching and assessment and presents evidence-based interventions to address the needs of struggling learners. This paper aims to impart EFL teachers with practical strategies that can aid them in integrating UDL principles into reading comprehension instruction. This paper underlines how the three core UDL principles—multiple means of representation, multiple means of action and expression, and multiple means of engagement—can be utilized to make reading instruction more attainable, engaging, and inclusive. Practical examples encompass the use of multimodal texts, differentiated comprehension activities, collaborative reading tasks, and technology-enhanced scaffolds to support distinct learners. The paper also discusses common difficulties that teachers may face, such as scarce resources and training needs, and presents recommendations for gradual implementation in resource-restrained contexts. Drawing on these findings, the paper presents evidence-informed strategies for teachers seeking to design inclusive reading lessons. By linking research findings to practical classroom applications, this study contributes to the growing body of evidence supporting UDL as a research-grounded approach to inclusive EFL instruction. Full article

This article examines how gender is constructed, negotiated, and reproduced through local narratives in the thematic villages of Malang City, Indonesia. Drawing on feminist theory and gender studies, the research explores storytelling as a gendered social practice embedded in everyday community life and tourism-based cultural production. Using a qualitative ethnographic approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and textual analysis of oral, visual, and digital narratives within thematic villages. The findings reveal that storytelling functions both as a mechanism for reinforcing normative gender roles and as a space for negotiation and resistance. The study concludes that although thematic villages promote participation and empowerment, unequal narrative authority persists. Full article

Socio-affective competence is a key dimension of inclusive education for adults with intellectual disabilities. This qualitative exploratory study examined the educational processes observed during a single 90 min embodied educational intervention designed to promote awareness of interpersonal boundaries, consent, and public–private behaviours. Data were collected through structured observation grids and narrative field notes compiled by external non-participant observers and analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. The findings suggest that embodied educational experiences, supported by pedagogical mediation and peer interaction, created opportunities for participants to engage with interpersonal boundaries, consent, and contextual social norms through situated interaction and guided reflection. Rather than demonstrating the development of socio-affective competence, the study provides a process-oriented interpretation of how socio-affective understanding may emerge during embodied educational experiences in inclusive educational contexts. Full article

Background: Substance use disorder (SUD) is common among persons who commit violent crimes, and it is an important factor to address within forensic psychiatric care (FPC) to reduce the risk for violent crime relapse. Community reinforcement approach (CRA) is one type of SUD treatment recommended for persons with co-occurring psychiatric disorders in the guidelines issued by the Swedish health authority, but whether it is possible to deliver CRA within in-patient FPC is unclear. The aim of this study was to compare patients within a high-security FPC clinic who had participated in CRA treatment with patients who had not, regarding characteristics of their SUD, psychiatric co-occurring diagnoses, motivation and need for treatment. Method: Between 2022 and 2024, N = 217 patients who completed the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) at this FPC clinic were included in the study. Results: The co-occurring psychiatric problems for the sample fell within the following overarching diagnostic groups: “psychosis only” (n = 82), “psychosis + externalizing disorder” (n = 70), “Neurodevelopmental” (n = 63). Within the sample, n = 118 had a SUD diagnosis, and the SUD group had a higher prevalence of “psychosis + externalizing disorder (SUD: 43.2% vs. no SUD: 19.2%) and a lower prevalence of “neurodevelopmental” (SUD: 18.6% vs. no SUD: 41.4%). Of the SUD group, n = 42 had at one point participated in CRA, but only n = 26 had completed. Patients in the CRA completers group had rated their degree of SUD severity and need for SUD treatment both higher. Their rated need for treatment was more in accordance with how the staff perceived the patient’s need, compared to the non-completing patients. Conclusions: Although CRA may be beneficial for some in the FPC patient group, a broader range of treatments is needed to engage more patients. The discrepancy between patient and staff was lower for patients who participated in CRA, which may indicate that motivational interventions, or other kinds of treatments not necessarily based on insight, need to be developed for subgroups of patients in FPC. Adaptation of treatment for the subgroup of patients with neurodevelopmental problems was also indicated, and this also highlights that the range of SUD treatments needs to be adapted to level of functioning, encompassing both rehabilitation and habilitation focus for patients with SUD within FPC. Full article

Environmental degradation in Indonesia often affects foothill communities most severely. Deforestation, land conversion, and extractive activities increase the risks of floods, landslides, water scarcity, and the gradual loss of local livelihoods. In Aceh, these problems continue despite environmental regulations, while weak enforcement and limited monitoring allow environmentally harmful activities to persist. This paper examines forest waqf as a community-based response to these challenges. Waqf is an Islamic endowment in which property is dedicated for public benefit and, once properly endowed, is protected from unauthorized sale, transfer, or change in purpose. When applied to forest land, waqf can provide a long-term institutional basis for conservation. Using a qualitative case study of the Jantho Forest Waqf and document analysis, the study examines how community fundraising, legal recognition, restoration, and stewardship interact with environmental governance. The findings indicate that forest waqf can help protect selected parcels of land from commercial conversion and support local stewardship, but its effectiveness depends on secure legal status, capable nazhirs, sustained financing, technical expertise, and cooperation with public institutions. The study therefore frames forest waqf as a complementary and preventive environmental-justice mechanism rather than a substitute for state enforcement. For foothill communities, its potential lies in protecting water sources, ecological functions, and livelihood conditions while strengthening community participation in forest governance. Full article

This paper explores a comparative study of higher education barriers between Pakistani and Malaysian students using Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory and Human Capital Theory. A cross-sectional, mixed-methods survey of 102 undergraduate and graduate students is analyzed via descriptive statistics and thematic coding. At the mesosystem level, the cost of education and mental health pressures are shared barriers. Divergences emerged at other levels; at the microsystem level, barriers between school facilities, teaching methods, and technological inclusion were highlighted. Pakistani students cited rote memorization and rigid, exam-based structures, while Malaysian students reported a lack of personalization and curriculum industry misalignment. Both groups favoured project-based learning, with Malaysian students also preferring hybrid work–study models. Full article

In a context of individualism, conflictual language, and scarce ethical passion, understanding how students co-construct meaning through dialogue is urgent. Teachers from primary to secondary school need tools to grasp these dynamics. This contribution presents the Instrument of Discursive Analysis, a research-validated heuristic tool grounded in the Empirical Phenomenological Method, capturing discursive acts and conversational moves in classroom dialogue. Adaptable to daily use, it supports observing verbal exchanges and characterizing the group-class discursive profile. An example from its implementation in a student Socratic conversation on ethical concepts is presented. Full article

This study examines the transformative impact of Artificial Intelligence on improving educational performance and fostering sustainability in higher education throughout the MENA region. This study investigates the integration of AI-driven tools, including adaptive learning systems, virtual tutors, and predictive analytics, into university settings to enhance student engagement, retention, and performance. The research examines the capacity of AI to enhance institutional sustainability can resource optimization and tailored educational routes. The study utilizes regional case studies and policy research to underscore potential and implementation obstacles, providing strategic recommendations for policymakers and educators seeking to develop AI-integrated and future-ready educational institutions. Full article

Iran’s scientific community faces a number of institutional, economic, political, cultural, and organizational challenges. This study examines how these challenges are experienced by PhD candidates and how participants understand their causes, responses, and consequences. A qualitative Grounded Theory approach was used. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with eight PhD candidates from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Tabriz. Data collection and analysis were carried out alongside each other through open, axial, and selective coding. The analysis identified “Challenges of the Iranian Scientific Community” as the core category and linked it to causal conditions, contextual conditions, strategies, and consequences. The findings show how different problems can come together in participants’ academic lives and shape the way they respond to the conditions surrounding their scientific work. Full article

Artificial intelligence is playing a critical part in Saudi Arabia’s transition from an oil-based to a knowledge-based economy under Vision 2030. AI is revolutionizing industries such as manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, and finance, making it a vital driver of innovation, productivity, and employment. This study investigates national strategies, investment objectives, and institutional reforms that facilitate AI integration, employing a qualitative policy analysis of secondary data through comparative and thematic evaluation of government reports, international publications, and academic literature. Preliminary results indicate that AI, adoption, including generative AI, is already improving sectoral efficiency, process optimization, and knowledge-based decision-making. The study also identifies implementation issues, such as regulatory preparation and workforce adaptation, and makes concrete recommendations to improve AI-driven development and maintain long-term economic resilience. Full article

Persistent structural inequalities continue to limit equitable access to, and success within, South African higher education, particularly for students from historically marginalised and under-resourced schooling backgrounds. Extended Curriculum Programmes (ECPs) were introduced as a national policy response to these disparities, yet they remain frequently misconceived as remedial rather than transformative pathways. This conceptual paper examines ECPs as catalysts for equity, resilience, and sustainable graduate development in South African higher education. Adopting a qualitative, reflective-practitioner approach grounded in constructivist and transformative learning theory, and informed by document and policy analysis, the paper synthesises literature on epistemic access, social justice, Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) with the authors’ own teaching experience within an ECP in the built environment discipline. The analysis shows that when curricula are made responsive, contextually grounded, and asset-based rather than deficit-oriented, ECPs cultivate academic confidence, epistemic access, and a durable sense of belonging among students who might otherwise be excluded from mainstream higher education. The paper argues that embedding ESD and UDL principles within ECP pedagogy strengthens their transformative and sustainability-oriented potential, converting formal access into meaningful participation and long-term graduate resilience. It concludes with recommendations for lecturer development, curriculum design, and institutional policy that reposition ECPs as core, rather than peripheral, mechanisms of transformation in higher education. Full article

This quantitative study investigates students’ perceptions of a virtual language exchange between two universities. By examining two successive cohorts, the research aimed to identify shared patterns, institutional differences, and changes over time. Two opinion questionnaires were administered at the beginning and at the end of the exchange in each academic period. The data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics globally, by institution, and longitudinally. The results support the integration of virtual language exchanges as a sustainable and effective component of internationalization at home in higher education since they offer students opportunities for authentic interaction and sensitivity to cultural diversity. Full article

Teachers’ mental health is increasingly acknowledged as essential for effective teaching and positive educational outcomes, yet interventions specifically designed to support it remain limited. This paper presents the Online Well-being Course (OWC), a serious game developed to enhance teachers’ mental health through gamified experiential and reflective activities. A mixed-methods design combined quantitative evidence from a pre-post intervention involving 151 Italian teachers with qualitative data on the experiences of 189 Italian teachers. The intervention produced improvements in social-emotional competence and self-efficacy, together with reduced perceived stress. Qualitative findings further revealed positive changes in relationship skills, emotional competence, decision-making, social awareness, self-care strategies, and school climate. Findings support the potential of serious games to strengthen teachers’ psychological resources and inform innovative approaches to teacher professional development. Full article

Ghana’s Basic National Social Security Scheme (Tier 1), administered by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), faces sustainability pressures from shifting pension demographics and macro-financial volatility. Using optimal control theory, we formulate a continuous-time stochastic control problem in which SSNIT jointly selects investment and benefit indexation to maximize the discounted expected utility of aggregate retiree benefits subject to a solvency constraint. The fund’s dynamics combine risky and risk-free assets with stochastic net cash flows driven by a constant elasticity of variance salary process and contributor and retiree membership dynamics. We employ the dynamic programming principle, which yields the Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equation, with bounded controls characterized under Karush–Kuhn–Tucker conditions and solvency was assessed using a backward Kolmogorov survival probability. Over a 30-year horizon, the policy allocates 19.5% to equity and 80.5% to fixed income, with 9.9% benefit indexation and 96.7% survival probability. Raising the contribution rate from 11% to 11.5% increases indexation to 15% and doubles benefits, while the 12% rate mainly improves survival probability without further effect on beneficiary welfare. A 0.5% increase in contributor growth raises benefits from 26.72 to 36.24 billion local currency units (LCUs) with 12% indexation. These findings suggest that contribution-rate adjustments and contributor coverage expansion, alongside disciplined asset allocation, can jointly strengthen benefit adequacy and long-term sustainability. Full article

The purpose of the article is to investigate whether considering stylized facts in financial time series leads to better estimation of risk measures. The study focuses on long-memory GARCH-type models chosen for their ability to capture characteristics of financial time series like long memory and volatility clustering. There are periods of high and low volatility in financial markets. One of the most important ways to reduce risk is to use a time-series model to manage market risk. In comparison to long-memory GARCH-type models, such as the fractionally integrated generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity, the research study aims to determine how effective the fractionally integrated asymmetric power autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity is at producing competitive risk measures. The stock returns are assumed to follow an empirical and skewed Student-t distributions in long-memory GARCH-type models. The historical adjusted closing price time series for trading positions at the 95% and 99% confidence levels correspond to the quantiles of the empirical return distributions. Empirical results demonstrate that the FIGARCH model utilizing an empirical distribution significantly outperforms the presumptive skewed Student-t distribution in generating reliable risk measures. Full article