Search Results (441)

This study explores how pre-service early childhood educators imagine and anticipate their upcoming practicum experience before entering the classroom, focusing on how schooling is both remembered and reimagined in advance of practice. Drawing on qualitative data from open-ended prompts in a Google Forms survey with undergraduate teacher education students, the study examines expectations regarding childhood, schooling, the teacher’s role, and practicum challenges. Using thematic analysis, the findings reveal persistent tensions in how participants conceptualize teaching and learning. While students frequently articulate child-centred and democratic ideals—emphasizing care, participation, and experiential learning—their responses simultaneously reproduce elements of the schoolized mind, through which schooling is imagined as structured by control, transmission, evaluation, and teacher authority. Practicum is anticipated both as a learning opportunity and as a moment of exposure requiring competence, classroom management, and error avoidance. The findings suggest that pre-service teachers approach practicum through already sedimented and socially shaped imaginaries of schooling. These anticipatory frameworks highlight the need for teacher education to critically engage with how schooling is imagined, in order to better shape future pedagogical practice. Full article

Transforming a conventional university campus into a smart campus by leveraging modern technologies aims to deliver university services efficiently, effectively, and at low cost. Modern technologies enhance campus life by providing services, such as smart classrooms and campus security, on demand. Seamless service delivery requires reliable and efficient access to the services that take into consideration the dynamic contextual attributes related to, e.g., end-device mobility, latency sensitivity, and resource constraints. University staff, students, and visitors frequently submit different types of service requests on the move, which requires a robust orchestration framework capable of managing these requests across edge-cloud environments. The orchestration framework needs to intelligently distribute the workload, taking into consideration the latency sensitivity requirements and contextual conditions, including resource constraints. Therefore, a fuzzy-logic orchestration framework for smart-campus environments in edge-cloud architecture is proposed. The framework incorporates key factors, including user speed, resource utilization, and request delay sensitivity, in the decision-making process to satisfy both service consumers and service providers. It prioritizes latency-sensitive requests while simultaneously enhancing resource utilization efficiency. Simulation-based experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework compared with benchmark approaches in orchestrating incoming workloads under several user and contextual conditions. Additionally, the results show that the proposed framework improves the execution rate by 30% compared to benchmark models and achieves more than double resource utilization efficiency. Full article

This article presents a qualitative case study of two secondary school biology teachers who aligned their teaching to inquiry through an extended professional learning community (PLC) program. The case study used an inquiry-based knowledge mobility model developed within a sociocultural learning theory (SLT) framework, specifically, the zone of proximal development (ZPD). Data were collected from four PLC meeting transcripts, two lesson observations, and two post-lesson reflection interviews. Four main inquiry-based themes directly emerged from PLC dialogue: scaffolding student agency, phenomenon-based learning, prioritizing process over right answers, and managing students’ preconceptions. Overall, results from the ZPD component of SLT indicated that one teacher’s pedagogical shift was mainly driven by his willingness to take conceptual risks, whereas the other teacher was procedurally driven. The cyclical model challenges traditional views on professional learning and highlights the role of teachers’ epistemological stances on inquiry teaching. This study offers guidance for designing PLCs that support authentic inquiry-based learning in secondary school science classrooms. Full article

Peer feedback is widely used in English as a foreign language (EFL) higher education, yet its benefits are often limited by uneven feedback quality and learners’ difficulty in interpreting and using comments. This theoretical paper synthesizes research on peer feedback, student feedback literacy, and recent developments in generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to propose a theory-informed design framework that positions GenAI as Trainer and Synthesizer in L2 speaking peer feedback. Building on feedback literacy as a set of capacities (appreciating feedback, making judgments, managing affect, and taking action), the paper argues that speaking tasks create distinct constraints, including time pressure, fleeting performance, and heightened affect, which make real-time peer feedback promising but pedagogically challenging. To address these challenges, here we introduce two complementary roles for GenAI in peer feedback workflows: a Trainer that supports feedback quality through calibration with exemplars, rubric-guided practice, and feedback-on-feedback; and a Synthesizer that aggregates peer input into concise, actionable guidance linked to criteria and learning goals. The conceptual proposal specifies key design principles (e.g., transparency, learner agency, teacher-in-the-loop oversight, and privacy-conscious data practices) and outlines researchable propositions for evaluating learning, engagement, and equity outcomes. The paper concludes with implications for task design, training sequences, and responsible classroom implementation. Full article

Challenge-based learning (CBL) is a student-centered approach engaging learners in complex, open-ended problems. While such openness can foster deeper learning and creativity, it also demands high self-direction. Teachers must therefore provide sufficient scaffolding without undermining CBL’s authenticity. This study examines how secondary education teachers design and enact scaffolding in sustainability-oriented CBL projects, and how students experience this support. A multiple-case study of three projects distinguished soft scaffolding (adaptive, just-in-time support) from hard scaffolding (predefined tools and structures). Data included teacher interviews (n = 3), student focus groups (n = 18), and classroom observations. Findings showed the scaffolding type and function depended on project open-endedness, teacher readiness, and alignment with project focus. In the most open-ended project, the teacher mainly used soft scaffolding to guide thinking and decision-making, whereas more structured projects relied on hard scaffolds for procedural support. Students’ experiences varied: some thrived under autonomy, developing ownership and engagement, while others needed more explicit guidance. These results suggest that scaffolds should align with project goals, be explicit in their contribution to progress, match students’ readiness for self-directed learning, be enacted by teachers comfortable in a coaching role, and include affective support to help students manage frustration and uncertainty. Full article

The growing complexity and interdependence of critical infrastructures (CIs), increasingly exposed to natural and technological hazards, call for educational approaches to enhance resilience and risk management. This study examines trends, patterns, and challenges in integrating digital and immersive technologies into education and training for stakeholders in critical infrastructure management. A systematic review of peer-reviewed literature was conducted using Scopus as the primary source, covering the last decade and analyzing the corpus across six dimensions: technological approach, pedagogical model, hazard typology, infrastructure domain, stakeholder category, and implementation phase. Following the PRISMA framework, 5635 records were identified and screened through a multistage process combining rule-based filtering and manual review, resulting in 105 papers meeting the inclusion criteria. The analysis reveals a shift from classroom instruction and physical drills toward immersive, simulation-based, and data-informed learning ecosystems that strengthen situational awareness, procedural accuracy, and decision-making under stress. However, the review identifies persistent gaps in evaluation metrics, cross-sector frameworks, and collaborative learning environments that limit adoption. The findings underscore that digital and immersive technologies can reconfigure education and training frameworks, enabling the formation of Resilient Operators endowed with adaptive cognition, continuous learning capacities, and responsiveness to natural hazard-induced technological risks. Full article

This instrumental case study investigates how learning support assistants (LSAs) understand their role and implement pedagogical strategies when working with autistic students in Dubai’s private education sector. Despite robust inclusive education policies, schools frequently emphasise academic achievement metrics, leading to reliance on LSAs for students experiencing learning or behavioural challenges. The research analyses LSA scaffolding practices through three theoretical lenses: repair, heuristic, and support functions. Through observations and interviews with six LSAs working in individualised and small-group contexts at a premier British-curriculum institution, the study identifies several patterns in the support practices of the LSAs. Results demonstrate that LSAs consistently apply intensive support without progressively reducing assistance or building student independence. Participant interviews revealed widespread assumptions about autistic learners’ ability to manage challenging academic work, directly limiting opportunities for growth. Pedagogical choices favoured managing student behaviour through external reward mechanisms rather than cultivating genuine learning engagement or developing autonomous problem-solving abilities. This research exposes disconnects between policy intentions, the scaffolding theory and classroom realities for learners with autism and their supporting educators. Full article

Behaviour management represents a complex dimension of the teaching profession, especially in contexts of high social vulnerability. This instrumental case study qualitatively analysed the experiences of four teachers from a technical–professional high school in Santiago, Chile, focusing on how they construct and sustain behaviour management in everyday classroom work. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews and analysed using qualitative content analysis. Findings foreground a central tension in which reactive management predominates over preventive strategies, shaping how teachers sustain pedagogical continuity under recurrent disruption. Teachers describe this work as a reflective construction negotiated between routines and adaptation to contingencies, supported by bonds of trust with students and informal peer collaboration within an institutional structure perceived as fragmented. These insights can inform teacher education by strengthening practice-oriented preparation for behaviour management and can support the refinement of educational coexistence policies in context-sensitive ways. Full article

School classrooms represent complex, interconnected systems where indoor environmental quality critically influences student health, cognitive performance, and educational equity. Yet traditional approaches operate in disciplinary silos, creating systemic failures in design, operation, and maintenance. This narrative review adopts a systems engineering framework to demonstrate how integrated interventions—spanning policy, design, technology, and operations—create resilient, sustainable, and healthy classroom climates. Amid escalating climate change impacts (rising temperatures, heatwaves, wildfires) and emerging threats (airborne pathogens, urban pollution), reactive measures like school closures prove pedagogically counterproductive. This review synthesizes evidence on natural, mechanical, and mixed-mode ventilation systems optimized through advanced control strategies, smart technologies, and health-centred policies. Key findings reveal that synergistic integration of Policy, Management, Construction, Operation, and Smart Technologies, in a systems engineering framework, outperforms singular strategies. Critical interventions include hybrid ventilation coupled with layered defences (HEPA filtration, UVGI), AI-driven adaptive controls using IoT sensors and Model Predictive Control to optimize energy while managing pollutant concentrations, and mandatory IAQ standards rooted in stakeholder education. By framing classrooms as interconnected engineering systems, this work provides actionable insights for architects, engineers, policymakers, and administrators, positioning future school design toward resilience, sustainability, and human-centred health outcomes. Full article

The Chocó Andino Biosphere Reserve in Ecuador faces growing challenges associated with food consumption and waste management in rural contexts. However, the role of educational institutions in promoting sustainable practices in these territories has been scarcely studied. This paper analyzes how rural schools contribute to circularity processes in food and waste management, shaping what we conceptualize as school trajectories toward circularity. A mixed methodology was applied in four public institutions in the Reserve. The quantitative component consisted of characterizing and measuring the weight, composition, and generation of waste, while the qualitative component was based on observations and semi-structured interviews with administrators and teachers. The results indicate that recyclable dry fraction constitutes the predominant fraction across schools, revealing an overlooked but significant potential for reuse and recycling in rural educational settings. They also reveal that sustainable practices within the schools are primarily supported by pedagogical leadership and active community participation. These practices shape environmental learning trajectories in which care and co-responsibility become integrated into everyday school life. The findings contribute empirical insights on the sociocultural determinants of circular food behavior in contexts of the Global South. Full article

Past research has shown engagement during lessons to be pivotal for secondary education students to develop learning skills and to master curriculum objectives. Knowing which teaching behaviours matter most in creating sustainable student engagement is of the utmost importance for schools and school managers to be able to decide on the nature of the support beginning teachers need during their induction period to become competent teachers. Which dimensions of beginning teachers’ teaching behaviours are most in need of monitoring and support to guarantee active student engagement are still unclear. To provide some light on this issue, this study used data from a large database containing data of Dutch students’ perceptions of their teachers’ teaching behaviours during lessons, measured with the My Teacher Questionnaire, and data about self-reports of their own emotional and behavioural engagement during lessons. Our findings, based on multilevel analyses, indicate that differences between teachers’ classroom management skills and activating learning practices are the most salient components of teaching behaviour that impact the level of student engagement, regardless of student gender and family background. These findings suggest that, in general, students in Dutch secondary education seem to benefit in terms of academic engagement from efficient classroom management and more intensive and activating instruction practices of their beginning teachers. Full article

Teaching is widely recognized as a highly stressful profession, and recent educational changes have further increased the pressure on teachers to manage demanding classroom situations while adapting to new technologies. To address this challenge, the present study examines the feasibility and user acceptance of XRSkills, a virtual reality serious game designed to strengthen teachers’ coping and problem-solving strategies through realistic school-based scenarios. A feasibility evaluation was conducted with teachers from all school grades and students from multiple European countries, combining a standardized usability measure with open-ended feedback on the game experience. Overall results indicate that XRSkills achieved a good level of usability and was generally perceived as engaging and relevant, particularly for in-service teachers. Participants appreciated the game format and learning approach, while also reporting areas for improvement such as clearer guidance, richer content, and smoother technical performance. These findings support the potential of virtual reality serious games as a practical and scalable training pathway to help teachers rehearse responses to stressors in a safe environment, while also fostering confidence in using immersive technologies for professional development. Full article

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies in educational buildings represents an emerging opportunity to enhance intelligent environmental monitoring, data analysis, and energy optimization. This article presents a systematic literature review focused on AI-based applications in IoT-enabled learning environments, with special attention to indoor air quality (IAQ) management. A total of 585 documents were initially retrieved from Web of Science, Scopus, and IEEE Xplore using two targeted search strings. After removing duplicates and applying successive relevance filters based on title, abstract, and pertinence, 128 final documents were selected for full-text analysis. This study addresses four research questions: (RQ1) Which AI techniques are applied to environmental data analysis in educational contexts? (RQ2) What methods are used to detect sensor anomalies in IoT-based monitoring systems? (RQ3) How is AI applied in real-time decision making based on air quality indicators? (RQ4) What AI-driven strategies support energy efficiency in classrooms? The results reveal a growing use of machine learning and deep learning models, such as convolutional neural networks, decision trees, and LSTM architectures, particularly in applications focused on air quality classification, fault detection, and predictive control. Supervised learning methods were the most frequently applied, with CNN-based models leading in air quality prediction tasks and decision trees being preferred for anomaly detection. Deep learning approaches showed higher accuracy but required greater computational resources, limiting their use in low-cost educational environments. However, the literature also shows a lack of contextualized implementations, especially in low-resource or Latin American environments, and a limited focus on user-centered and educationally integrable systems. In addition, the review identifies a research gap regarding the integration of environmental and educational data, suggesting the potential for future empirical studies that evaluate real classroom conditions using IoT devices to inform AI-driven energy optimization strategies in academic settings. Full article

Background/Objectives: Digital technologies and generative artificial intelligence (AI) are increasingly used in undergraduate dental education, yet international variations in adoption and governance remain insufficiently described. This study aimed to characterise cross-national patterns of educational software use, perceived importance for curriculum delivery, and institutional readiness for AI governance. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey of educators and academic administrators involved in undergraduate dental education captured institutional software use across teaching delivery, learning management, assessment, clinical record systems, imaging, simulation, digital workflows, and generative AI. Results: A total of 97 respondents from 38 countries completed the survey, with most institutions delivering both undergraduate and postgraduate dental education (66.0%). Videoconferencing platforms were widely adopted. LMS provision varied, with Google Classroom, Moodle, and Blackboard most frequently reported. Paper-based clinical records remained in use in 32% of institutions. Among digital PMS/EDR platforms, axiUm, Salud/Titanium, and Carestream Dental were the most prevalent. Adoption of simulation software, CAD/CAM systems, and 3D printing was inconsistent. LMS and videoconferencing were most often rated as essential, whereas simulation, scanners, CAD/CAM, and 3D printing were generally considered useful but not essential. Generative AI use was commonly reported, while formal institutional guidance and policies were frequently absent. Conclusions: Although digital integration in undergraduate dental education is widespread, its distribution is uneven across different regions and technology domains. The combination of rapid generative AI uptake and limited governance highlights an urgent need for institution-level guidance, staff development, and strategic investment to support responsible and equitable integration. Full article

Instructional leadership is crucial for improving teaching quality and student academic performance, especially in secondary schools where Heads of Department (HoDs) play a vital role. Despite this, there is no empirical evidence on how Science HoDs provide instructional leadership in Lesotho. This study looked at the self-reported instructional leadership techniques of Science HoDs in Lesotho secondary schools and whether they vary based on specific demographic and workload criteria. Using a quantitative descriptive survey approach, data were obtained from 67 Science HoDs using a paper-based questionnaire adapted from the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS). Descriptive statistics and inferential analysis were employed (t-tests and ANOVA). The data indicate that Science HoDs frequently used tactics such as goal planning and communication, curriculum coordination, learner progress monitoring, teaching time management, and instructional resource availability. However, high-impact pedagogical approaches, such as classroom observation, formal written feedback, and systematic evaluation of teacher learning, were less frequently implemented. Except for the number of courses taught, instructional leadership strategies showed no significant differences by age, gender, qualification, experience, teaching load, or school location. The study reveals a preference for administrative rather than pedagogical instructional leadership, highlighting the need for targeted professional development and policy support to improve HoDs’ capacity for sustained instructional practices in science education. Full article