Search Results (8)

This study explores the development of reflective thinking among Physical Education Teachers (PETs) through a professional development program grounded in Paralympic values and inclusive education. Employing a qualitative action research design, the study involved seven PETs teaching in Greek primary schools. The intervention lasted ten weeks and comprised 20 Physical Education lessons, during which data were collected via semi-structured interviews, reflective journals, and non-participatory observation. The findings indicate a progressive shift in the teachers’ reflective thinking—from Technical Reflection to Practical and Critical Reflection—as defined in van Manen’s theoretical model. Most participants initially demonstrated a practical orientation but gradually developed a critical stance, incorporating values such as fairness, inclusion, and respect for diversity into their pedagogical thinking. Furthermore, the results revealed increased student sensitivity toward inclusive practices and a more democratic classroom climate. These findings suggest that targeted professional development programs can foster deeper reflective engagement and promote inclusive practices within Physical Education. This study highlights the potential of Paralympic values as meaningful educational content and reinforces the role of Physical Education as a catalyst for social inclusion and teacher professional growth. Full article

Improving students’ thermal comfort in university courtyards and indoor spaces promotes walkability, enhances livability, and fosters social interaction among students. This study aims to improve students’ outdoor thermal comfort in university courtyards, to reduce heat transfer to classrooms, and to accordingly reduce energy consumption in university buildings in hot arid climates. Thus, the proposed coupled methodology for the case study, the Faculty of Agriculture, New Sohag University, Egypt, consists of three stages. First, monitoring and questionnaire surveys were conducted in the open courtyard and the classroom to obtain air temperature, wind speed, thermal image, and CO₂ and thermal comfort analysis. Secondly, the Envi-met model was used to investigate the impact of six improvement solutions on improving thermal comfort in the courtyard. Third, retrofitting strategies in the building envelope were evaluated to decrease heat transfer and energy consumption by DesignBuilder software. Consequently, the findings revealed a high outdoor air temperature, which causes discomfort for students. Hence, the simulation results concluded that the significant reduction of physiological equivalent temperature (PET), which ranged between 11.1 °C and 13.9 °C, occurred after applying the hybrid improvement solutions (vegetation area and semi-shading or pergola-shading). Moreover, integrating a combination of retrofitting strategies into the faculty buildings contributed to a 30% reduction in energy consumption. Ultimately, the proposed methodology aims to assist architects and urban designers in the early design stages by providing the appropriate environmental solutions for the universities’ courtyards and buildings in hot arid climates. Full article

Students enrolled in secondary schools often fail to engage in moderate to vigorous levels of physical activity (MVLPA) due to inadequacies in their physical education programs. Physical education teachers (PETs) foster student involvement in MVLPA. Consequently, it becomes imperative to identify and scrutinize factors pertaining to PETs that could influence students’ MVLPA within secondary school settings, an area that has been relatively overlooked in China. To address this gap, the present study delved into MVLPA among secondary school students in southwest China with the following objectives: (i) to assess students’ MVLPA alongside PET characteristics and teaching behaviors during physical education classes; (ii) to explore discrepancies in PET behaviors and characteristics; and (iii) to establish connections between students’ MVLPA and PET behaviors and characteristics during physical education sessions. A questionnaire survey was administered to 54 full-time PETs across nine secondary schools in Chengdu, China, aimed at gathering data on their personal and professional attributes. Additionally, a system for observing fitness instruction time was employed to document PET instructional traits, while accelerometers were utilized to track students’ MVLPA. The study objectives were investigated using multiple statistical analyses. The findings indicate that PETs do not meet the recommended 50% MVLPA time allocation during physical education sessions. Noteworthy patterns emerged, revealing that PETs with 1–5 years of teaching experience allocated less time to student observation and more time to classroom management compared to their counterparts with 6–10 years and over 10 years of teaching experience. Moreover, MVLPA time invested in lessons led by male PETs (B = −3.221) was significantly higher than time spent in lessons led by female PETs, which was attributed to PET gender. Furthermore, students under the tutelage of PETs with 6–10 years of teaching experience (B = 3.101) and those with over 10 years of experience (B = 2.989) exhibited significantly higher MVLPAs than under those with 1–5 years of teaching experience. Additionally, PET attitudes such as observation (B = 1.621) and promoting (B = 1.317) behaviors during physical education sessions were positively correlated with students’ MVLPA. A regression analysis revealed that PET characteristics and behaviors explained 21.3% of students’ MVLPA variance. This study offers insights into PETs’ pivotal role in promoting physical activity. It underscores the ramifications for students’ MVLPA in the Chinese educational context. Full article

Employing living animals in educational settings is popular and may assist learning. Human-animal relationships are considered fundamental for the effects of animal-assisted interventions (AAI) on successful learning. Key studies on AAI emphasize dogs, or other large-brained vertebrates, while AAI with non-vertebrate species is a yet rather unexplored field. However, bringing non-vertebrate species to school has ethical and practical advantages. In an exploratory study, we tested whether seven-years-old children would form caregiving relationships with a Giant African land snail (Achatina fulica). Prior to the survey, the snail had been kept inside a terrarium in the classroom for seven months. We employed a questionnaire for measuring children’s pet attachment to assess the children’s relationships with the snail. The observed relationship scores with the snail were intermediate to high and did not differ from same-aged children’s attachment scores with their dogs, cats, and rabbits. No differences due to gender were observed. Children potentially developed caregiving attitudes and empathy towards the snail, and thus, the presented results indicate potential benefits from employing a non-vertebrate species in educational settings, as well as for animal-assisted therapy. The specific features of A. fulica are discussed in the frame of human-animal interactions, learning, and anthropomorphism. Full article

An innovative modular approach for facile design and construction of flexible microfluidic biosensor platforms based on a dry manufacturing “craft-and-stick” approach is developed. The design and fabrication of the flexible graphene paper electrode (GPE) unit and polyethylene tetraphthalate sheet (PET)6/adhesive fluidic unit are completed by an economic and generic xurographic craft approach. The GPE widths and the microfluidic channels can be constructed down to 300 μm and 200 μm, respectively. Both units were assembled by simple double-sided adhesive tapes into a microfluidic integrated GPE (MF-iGPE) that are flexible, thin (<0.5 mm), and lightweight (0.4 g). We further functionalized the iGPE with Prussian blue and glucose oxidase for the fabrication of MF-iGPE glucose biosensors. With a closed-channel PET fluidic pattern, the MF-iGPE glucose biosensors were packaged and sealed to protect the integrated device from moisture for storage and could easily open with scissors for sample loading. Our glucose biosensors showed 2 linear dynamic regions of 0.05–1.0 and 1.0–5.5 mmol L⁻¹ glucose. The MF-iGPE showed good reproducibility for glucose detection (RSD < 6.1%, n = 6) and required only 10 μL of the analyte. This modular craft-and-stick manufacturing approach could potentially further develop along the concept of paper-crafted model assembly kits suitable for low-resource laboratories or classroom settings. Full article

Many children growing up in urban areas of Western countries have limited contact with and knowledge of farm animals and food production systems. Education can play an important role in children’s understanding of farm animal welfare issues, however, most education provided focuses on pets. There is a need to develop new farm animal welfare interventions for young children. This study examines the process of designing, developing, and evaluating the effectiveness of a new theoretically-driven digital game to teach children, aged 6–13 years, about farm animal welfare. ‘Farm Animal Welfare’ aimed to promote children’s knowledge about animal welfare, promote beliefs about animal sentience, and promote positive attitudes and compassion. A quasi-experimental design was carried out, using self-report questionnaires that children (n = 133, test = 69, control = 64) completed in the classroom. Test and control groups were from different schools and the control group did not engage in the intervention. Findings indicate a positive impact on beliefs about animal minds, knowledge about animal welfare needs, and knowledge about welfare in different farming systems, but there was no change in compassion or attitudes about cruelty. This study presents the first evaluation of a digital animal welfare education intervention for children, demonstrating the benefits of incorporating ‘serious games’ into farm animal welfare education. The findings will inform future practice around farm animal welfare education interventions for primary school children. Full article

Here we describe a pilot Dog-Assisted Activity program that was designed to improve wellbeing and social integration in a multi-cultural elementary classroom in which some episodes of bullying had been reported. We developed a 5-encounters protocol with the aim of introducing pet dogs into the class to stimulate understanding of different types of communication and behavior, ultimately facilitating positive relationships among peers. A preliminary evaluation was carried out in order to assess the effect of the program on teachers’ perception of children’s difficulties (e.g., peer relationship problems) and strengths (prosocial behaviors) by means of a brief behavioral screening tool, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ—Teacher version). Overall results indicate that, by means of the recognition of the dogs’ behavior and non-verbal communication, children were able to express their emotions and to show behaviors that had not been recognized by the teachers prior to the intervention. In particular, the SDQ Total Difficulties scores suggest that the teacher had increased awareness of the students’ difficulties as a result of the dog-assisted program. Overall, the presence of animals in the educational environment may provide enjoyment and hands-on educational experiences, enhanced psychological wellbeing, and increased empathy and socio-emotional development. Full article

The aim of this study was to characterise the contamination in settled dust in French classrooms and to provide an overview of the influencing factors of dust contamination. Cat, dog and dust mite allergens and metals were measured in 51 classrooms at 17 schools. The concentrations of pet allergens in settled dust were generally low (mean value of 0.1 µg·g⁻¹), with carpeted and rug-covered floors presenting higher dust and cat allergen concentrations. The highest metal loadings in dust were observed for manganese (Mn) and copper (Cu), while the lead (Pb) loadings were lower (16 ± 19 µg·m⁻²) and fell below the French guideline. Higher metal leachability was found for cadmium (Cd), Cu, Pb and strontium (Sr) at values of approximately 80%, which suggest that, in cases of dust ingestion by children, a large proportion should be assimilated through the gastro-intestinal tract. The intra-classroom and intra-school variabilities of the metal concentrations in settled dust were lower than the variability between schools. Classrooms with tiled floors had higher Pb loadings than classrooms with wood or vinyl floors. In addition, wet cleaning less than once a week resulted in greater loadings of Cu and Pb in the settled dust. Lastly, enrichment factors showed that metals in settled dust of classrooms were not only from the contribution of the natural background concentrations in soils. Full article