Search Results (255)

This paper presents a qualitative case study on the design, implementation, and validation of the Art Nouveau Path, a mobile augmented reality game developed to foster sustainability competences through engagement with Aveiro’s Art Nouveau built heritage. Grounded in the GreenComp framework and developed through a Design-Based Research approach, the game integrates location-based interaction, narrative storytelling, and multimodal augmented reality and multimedia content to activate key competences such as systems thinking, futures literacy, and sustainability-oriented action. The game was validated with 33 in-service schoolteachers, both through a simulation-based training workshop and a curricular review of the game. A mixed-methods strategy was used, combining structured questionnaires, open-ended reflections, and curricular review. The findings revealed strong emotional and motivational engagement, interdisciplinary relevance, and alignment with formal education goals. Teachers emphasized the game’s capacity to connect local identity with global sustainability challenges through immersive and reflective experiences. Limitations pointed to the need for enhanced pedagogical scaffolding, clearer integration into STEAM subjects, and broader accessibility across technological contexts. This study demonstrates that these games, when grounded in competence-based frameworks and inclusive design, can meaningfully support multimodal, situated learning for sustainability and offer valuable contributions to pedagogical innovation in Education for Sustainable Development. Full article

Robotics has emerged as a transformative discipline at the intersection of the engineering, computer science, and cognitive sciences. This state-of-the-art review explores the current trends, methodologies, and challenges in both robotics research and education. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the evolution of robotics, tracing its development from early automation to intelligent, autonomous systems. Key enabling technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), soft robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), and swarm intelligence, are examined along with real-world applications in healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture, and sustainable smart cities. A central focus is placed on robotics education, where hands-on, interdisciplinary learning is reshaping curricula from K–12 to postgraduate levels. This paper analyzes instructional models including project-based learning, laboratory work, capstone design courses, and robotics competitions, highlighting their effectiveness in developing both technical and creative competencies. Widely adopted platforms such as the Robot Operating System (ROS) are briefly discussed in the context of their educational value and real-world alignment. Through case studies, institutional insights, and synthesis of academic and industry practices, this review underscores the vital role of robotics education in fostering innovation, systems thinking, and workforce readiness. The paper concludes by identifying the key challenges and future directions to guide researchers, educators, industry stakeholders, and policymakers in advancing robotics as both technological and educational frontiers. Full article

The TOWCHED project explores how arts and heritage-based educational methodologies can support sustainable development by enhancing key transversal competencies in learners, particularly children and youth. In response to the global challenges outlined in the sustainable development goals (SDGs), this project promotes inclusive and participatory approaches to education that foster social cohesion, intercultural understanding, and civic engagement. Partnering with museums, TOWCHED develops cross-curricular pedagogical interventions, such as experiential, blended, and collection-mediated learning, that link cultural heritage with contemporary social and environmental concerns. These approaches aim to strengthen creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and self-awareness. TOWCHED demonstrates that heritage collection-based education can play a vital role in transforming schools and other learning environments into hubs for sustainable, lifelong learning. By embedding cultural expression and heritage into educational practices, the project offers a compelling model for empowering individuals to navigate and shape a more equitable and interconnected world. This paper has two aims. First, we introduce TOWCHED, an interdisciplinary project recently funded by the Horizon Europe program of the European Union to preserve and promote education for sustainability in the heritage context. Second, we introduce a set of tools related to the project. Full article

A significant development in pedagogical strategies which make use of the principles of embodied cognition can be found within the implementation of Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) into art and design education. This theoretical study investigates how IVR-mediated embodiment enhances spatial thinking and creative problem-solving in art and design education by examining the taxonomy of embodied learning and principles of embodied cognition. The pedagogical affordances and limitations of IVR for creative learning are analyzed through a combination of empirical research and case studies, such as the Tangible and Embodied Spatial Cognition (TASC) system and Tilt Brush studies. Through gesture, spatial navigation, and environmental manipulation, IVR provides numerous possibilities for externalizing creative ideation; however, its implementation requires negotiating contradictions between virtual and physical materiality. IVR-based educational technologies have the potential to revolutionize teaching and learning. The goal of this paper is to provide educators with a theoretically grounded framework for applying embodied practices in IVR-based learning environments, while also acknowledging the current limitations of this technology. Full article

The construction sector is confronted with significant challenges, such as reduced productivity, high injury rates, and labor deficits, driving research into autonomous robotics as a viable solution. This study delivers a comprehensive review of recent advancements in AI-driven autonomous construction robotics, organized within the sense–think–act (STA) framework. A rigorous bibliometric analysis of 319 selected publications from 2015 to 2024 highlights key research trends and notable contributors. A systematic content analysis elaborates on advancements in each STA component, including technologies for perception and environmental understanding, decision-making algorithms for reasoning and planning, and varied actuation methods addressing scale and collaborative robotics. The study also explores challenges such as environmental unpredictability, specialized task demands, and structural safety concerns. Finally, it underscores future research priorities, focusing on balanced robotic system design, dataset standardization, domain-specific knowledge incorporation, and enhanced robustness to support the broader implementation of autonomous construction robotics. Full article

In recent years, there has been growing interest in the pedagogical use of ChatGPT within arts education, including literature, drama, music, and painting. This research investigates the beliefs of primary and secondary school teachers who teach arts regarding the pedagogical use of ChatGPT, exploring potential use, expected benefits or risks, support or rejection from the educational community, and possible barriers or facilitators, based on Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior. A qualitative study was conducted with a sample of 67 teachers familiar with or having used ChatGPT in education. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed thematically based on behavioral, normative, and control beliefs. Teachers identified expected benefits such as increased student interest, creativity, and critical thinking, as well as the facilitation of research and support for students with special needs. Concerns included copying, misinformation, and reduced critical thinking and creativity. They expressed ambivalence and skepticism toward ChatGPT’s pedagogical use, being optimistic about educational benefits and community support but concerned about future challenges. Finally, they emphasized the need for training and adequate technological infrastructure. The findings highlight the importance of equipping teachers with the necessary skills and institutional support to ensure the responsible and effective integration of AI in arts education. Full article

The contribution that arts can make to our health and wellbeing is widely acknowledged in public discourse, with the concept of ‘creative health’ having come to prominence in the UK in the last ten years. This paper asks about the kinds of values at play in contemporary appeals to creativity by exploring the value of art for life from a philosophical perspective. Drawing on Pierre Hadot’s influential work on the ancient philosophical practice of the ‘art of living’, it goes on to consider how aesthetic perception of the world functions as a kind of model for philosophical perception. Inflecting these ideas with Friedrich Nietzsche’s genealogical critique of values, the paper examines the role of art and philosophy in relation to luxury and need, and to fundamental conditions of life enhancement. Building on this distinctive application of Nietzsche’s genealogy, it develops the question of how to assess the value of art for life outside the current neoliberal narratives of wellbeing and the creative industries. In its focus on values rather than ideals, the paper makes an original contribution to current thinking and practice in creative health. Full article

The present study explores the affordances of virtual reality (VR) technologies to enhance digital and media literacy skills within an interdisciplinary and inclusive K-12 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning context. Addressing gaps in research on the design and impact of VR experiences in secondary education, the study investigates VR affordances not only as a learning tool, but also as a medium for knowledge co-creation through learning by doing, with students acting as the agents within digital social contexts. The study was conducted for two years, with 59 participants aged 13–14 years old, following a structured five-phase intervention model with the intent to comply with DigComp 2.2 guidelines for digital citizenship and the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) for inclusive educational practices. The phases involved (a) training on the technological level to leverage digital tools; (b) media and information literacy (MIL) instruction in VR; (c) collaborative VR artifact creation; (d) peer evaluation; and (e) dissemination with peers from other sociocultural contexts for an iterative process of continuous content improvement and social discourse. Mixed methods data collection included pre/post-course surveys, pre/post-tests, observation journals, and student-generated VR artifact evaluations. The findings indicate consistent learning gains across both years, with an average pre–post gain of 18 points (Cohen’s d = −2.25; t = −17.3, p < 0.001). The VR-supported intervention fostered complex skillset building within a VR-supported dynamic learning environment that caters to diverse needs. Students’ reflections informed a framework for designing inclusive media literacy in VR, structured around three main pillars: Narrative Structure, Strategic Design, and Representation Awareness. These themes encapsulate the practical, cognitive, and ethical dimensions of VR design. Sub-themes with examples contribute to understanding the key design elements of VR in promoting participatory engagement, digital and media literacy, critical discourse, and inclusive education. The sub-themes per pillar are signaling and multisensory cues, storyline, and artful thinking; schema formation, multimedia encoding, and optimal cognitive load; and bias-free, respect for emotional impact, and language and symbols. Complementary quantitative findings confirmed the themes of the proposed framework, revealing a positive correlation between the perceived ease of use (PEoU) with digital skills development and a negative correlation between perceived usefulness (PU) and cognitive load. The study concludes with recommendations for pedagogy, curriculum design, and future research to empower learners in shaping sustainable digital futures. Full article

Computational thinking (CT), an interrelation of skills and practices, is a crucial competency that empowers individuals to tackle logical problems, enabling them to overcome various challenges in their daily lives. To help Deaf students (those with hearing loss and using sign language for communication) enhance their CT, a STEAM learning program using a physical computing tool is proposed. The learning program composes four courses: learning concepts, implementing concepts, finding solutions to real problems and developing innovations. The program engaged Deaf students from 18 Deaf schools. It is geared towards boosting students’ CT and facilitating their capacity to devise technology-based solutions. The program measured students’ CT effectiveness based on the CT framework: concepts, practices, and perspectives. The measurement encompassed multiple-choice assessments for CT concepts, task rubrics for CT practices, and interview and invention observations for CT perspectives. The program concludes with participating in a science project competition, using a physical computing tool, called KidBright, to solve real-world issues by integrating science, mathematics, and art. After completing the learning program, Deaf students demonstrated an improved understanding of CT concepts, performing high-level CT practices, and expressing strong CT perspectives. These indicate that a STEAM learning program utilizing a physical computing tool can help Deaf students enhance their computational thinking. Full article

Can films contribute to the production of thought? Or, to put the question more radically, can films generate thought on their own, or can there be films that think the unthought? When thought is equated with rationality, logic, concepts, generalizations, and abstractions, the answer can be “no” at the outset, particularly when ordinary people in the flow of their daily lives typically turn to mass films for escapism. On the other side of the spectrum, among the philosophers and social scientists who argue that cinema might contain serious intellectual elements, there is no general approach that radically challenges the meaning that ordinary people may attach to films. By focusing on Deleuze’s concepts of “body-cinema” and “brain-cinema”, this article aims to showcase how films can philosophize on their own. While going beyond the traditional association of thought with mind and reasoning, this article explores the diffused location of thought, existing in our very sensations and emotions. This article analyzes some of the significant films from the Turkish art cinema—both old and recent—to explore how thought is constituted with reference to the human body and brain in cinema. Full article

In order to meet the learning demands and challenges of the 21st century, computational thinking (CT) skills are important to start developing in early childhood education. The best way to cultivate CT skills, such as algorithmic thinking, is by implementing multidisciplinary education, introducing state-of-the-art technological tools, and adopting engaging teaching strategies like robotics. Within this context, we introduce a play-based educational framework that is developmentally appropriate for second graders and aims to exercise pupils’ algorithmic thinking amid the Environmental Studies course. Keeping in mind that the early childhood period is crucial in developing environmentally friendly attitudes, intentions, and behaviours, we designed the proposed educational framework not only to cultivate pupils’ algorithmic thinking but environmental awareness too. The main technology exploited was the Bee-Bot, which stimulates children to learn how to solve problems efficiently and imaginatively through playful programming. This article reports a relevant case study conducted in October 2023 in Crete, Greece, adopting a robust ethical framework and being implemented under the umbrella of the qualitative research methodology. Studying the data obtained shows that the pupils embraced the proposed robotics activities, exercised their algorithmic thinking, and cultivated their environmental awareness in a playful, collaborative, and engaging learning environment. Full article

The current study examined how pre-service early childhood teachers, through invented notation activities, intra-act with the agency of music and the environment to achieve a process of becoming-music, grounded in Barad’s agential realism, presuming that it is necessary to consider the encounter with music itself rather than perceiving it as a ‘teaching subject’. The collected data included 54 sets of invented notations performed by 22 pre-service teachers, recorded videos of their performances driven by their interpretations, their journals, and observational records and notes by the researcher. Qualitative analysis was conducted based on the intra-actions between the pre-service teachers and music. In the invented notation activity, pre-service teachers initiated their engagement by encountering musical concepts and experimenting with diverse art materials as well as daily-life items. They generated sounds and created three-dimensional invented notations designed to guide the performance of the sounds. Furthermore, they deeply responded to the symbols within the invented notations, connecting their daily lives and music. They continued to realize the becoming-music through the ongoing generation of N-dimensional sounds. Pre-service teachers, through invented notation activities, experienced musical thinking not as an acquisition of pre-established knowledge and skills but rather through a direct encounter with music itself. This suggests that invented notation activities provide a sustainable learning environment by facilitating a dynamic entanglement with music. Furthermore, it indicates that post-humanism, which proposes a relational symbiosis between human and nonhuman entities, serves as a fundamental framework for education for sustainable development. Full article

Sustainability is a modern design philosophy, and this concept prompted this study to focus on the possibility of achieving sustainability principles practically by using artificial intelligence techniques to create sustainable contemporary furniture elements inspired by the heritage and arts of Arabic calligraphy. Heritage-inspired design has cultural meaning and significance as a type of sustainable thinking. Arabic calligraphy has multiple forms and the possibility of adapting it, in addition to its role in enriching the cultural and creative stock. This study aimed to benefit from Arabic calligraphy as a source to enrich and sustain furniture design that is characterized by authenticity and modernity, and to preserve a heritage design product by reformulating it using artificial intelligence methods. In a way that enhances belonging and preserves the community’s heritage and values from extinction, this study followed the descriptive analytical approach in identifying the origins and characteristics of Arabic calligraphy, analyzing its vocabulary, reformulating it, and drawing inspiration from it to enrich furniture designs, in addition to the experimental approach in the applied study through the use of different techniques and materials. The results of this study concluded that there are various aesthetic values in the use of Arabic calligraphy that can be used to create contemporary furniture designs using artificial intelligence techniques to preserve its sustainability. In addition to opening up broad possibilities for creativity and innovation by integrating Arabic calligraphy into furniture design using artificial intelligence technology, this study recommended the need to pay attention to studying the sustainability of heritage and arts in general in appreciation of art and its preservation. Full article

Exploring the potential of text-to-image generation technology in Taiwanese vocational high school art courses, this study employs a conceptual framework of technology integration, creative thinking, and metacognitive abilities, focusing on its effects on teaching strategies as well as students’ digital art creation skills and cognitive and creative development. The study was conducted through a multi-methodological approach that includes a systematic literature review plus participatory action research and qualitative analysis. The results showed that integrating text-to-image technology with education boosted students’ interest in activities such as prompt design and project creation and suited themes like landscapes and conceptual art. Testing AI tools enhanced technical proficiency (average of 3.95/5), while pedagogy shifted to project-based learning, increasing engagement. Students’ digital art skills improved from 3.26 to 3.78 (16% growth), with creativity and originality (3.82/5), style diversity, visual complexity, and divergent thinking notably advanced. The technology also fostered metacognitive skills and critical thinking, proving to be an effective teaching aid beyond a mere digital tool. This discovery provides a fresh theoretical viewpoint and instructional procedures for high school art education curricula, anchored in technology, and highlights the importance of nurturing students’ innovativeness and adaptability within the contemporary digital age. Full article

Challenges relating to children and families are often complex; however, solutions can be creative. An arts organisation consulted with a multi-professional group on introducing the arts and culture to families from birth. This action research details and evaluates an innovative multi-professional creative project designed to support families in the North of England. Multi-professional stakeholder planning meetings decided the outcome of the project should be to create parental workshops. Evaluative data were collected from six parent semi-structured interviews to discuss their experience. Stakeholders also reflected on the parents’ data and evaluated the research project. Both datasets were analysed using inductive content analysis. Categories from the parents’ data described positive perceived effects on themselves and their families, emphasising the importance of community. Findings highlight the potential of the arts and parent groups for early intervention. Facilitators of and barriers to multi-agency working were also identified from the stakeholder data. The unique experience created using the arts as well as access to professionals contributed to the parental buy-in of the families. Parental commitment and a sense of community are essential for continued engagement in any parent project. Governments should invest in the early years population using parents and multi-agency working groups as an early intervention and proactive response. Full article