Search Results (209)

This study presents an innovative and interdisciplinary didactic approach for teaching biodiversity to high school students, aiming to enhance basic learning skills and promoting deeper understanding of biological concepts. The designed educational proposal aims to support policy-driven collaboration between schools and botanical gardens within the framework of coordinated and long-term educational policies. The intervention was designed to cultivate both cognitive and metacognitive skills within three (3) didactic hours, offering a holistic learning experience through the study of Tulipa members used as an alluring model. A total of 168 Greek first- and second-grade high school students (on average 16 years old) participated in the study. Biodiversity was examined in a multidisciplinary fashion, focusing on species’ diversity (phenotypic), genetic-karyological diversity, and habitat diversity. The core components of the approach included: (a) the completion of a corresponding worksheet module, which effectively engaged students in the learning process using the 5E didactic model, and (b) a karyotype lab experiment using living Tulipa specimens. The learning process was evaluated through two questionnaires assessing the acquisition of scientific knowledge and behavioral outcomes. The results showed a positive impact on students’ understanding regarding the genetic material and biodiversity, with the karyotype experiment playing a key role in achieving high performance in both cognitive and affective learning objectives. Knowledge scores were higher in the second-grade students (53–73%) than in the first-grade students (44–69%) of high school, especially regarding concepts such as karyotype applications and biodiversity-ecosystem balance. The karyotype experiment positively correlated with both the evaluation of the intervention and the shifts in biodiversity beliefs (Pearson’s r = 0.649, 0.515; p < 0.05, respectively). The modeled inquiry-based approach with living tulips and karyotype experiments can help schools and botanic gardens counteract plant blindness by enhancing cognitive and affective learning outcomes within a limited instructional timeframe. Full article

Background/Objectives: This methodology article describes the development and application of a structured planning instrument for community health education interventions. Community health education can strengthen population preparedness against respiratory threats beyond COVID-19 by improving knowledge, attitudes, and practices. The aim was to describe the development and implementation of the Eight-Stage Health Education Planning Instrument as applied in a community health education intervention aimed at improving preventive behaviors against COVID-19. Methods: A systematic, theory-based, and practice-oriented process was followed. Planning was guided by an Eight-Stage Health Education Planning Instrument. Conceptual models (ASE model, TTM, and I-Change model) were used to identify target determinants, and the Behavior Change Wheel guided the mapping stage from determinants to intervention functions and techniques. Results: The community health education intervention, developed using the Eight-Stage Health Education Planning Instrument, was named “Rethinking COVID-19” and consisted of a two-hour, in-person workshop combining brief didactic content with interactive components across three blocks: hand hygiene, healthy lifestyle, and emotional coping. Delivery procedures were predefined to ensure fidelity. The first two workshops served as formative pilots, allowing for the refinement of materials and procedures. Adjustments were guided by facilitator observations, immediate debriefs, participant satisfaction data, and one-word feedback descriptors. Conclusions: This methodology article presents the Eight-Stage Health Education Planning Instrument, a structured yet adaptable framework for the design, implementation, and evaluation of community health education programs. Its systematic stages provide an effective means of integrating theory, evidence, and community context. The “Rethinking COVID-19” intervention illustrates how the instrument standardizes planning while remaining responsive to local needs and emerging challenges. By incorporating behavioral models and clearly distinguishing between evaluation and follow-up, it strengthens methodological rigor and supports institutionalization. Full article

We present WM-Classroom v1.0, a pedagogical multi-species agent-based model (ABM) designed for educational purposes in predator–prey–harvest systems. The model embeds a predator, two prey breeds, and human harvesters on a homogeneous 50 × 50 grid with weekly time steps, implementing random movement, abstract energetics, prey consumption, reproduction, legal harvest with species-specific cut-offs and seasons, optional predator control, and a poaching switch. After basic technical checks (energetic calibration, prey composition, herbivore viability), we explore the consistency of the model under illustrative scenarios including no hunting, single-prey harvest, hunter-density and season-length gradients, predator removal, and poaching. In the no-hunting baseline (n = 100), mean end-of-run abundances were 22 deer, 159 boar, and 45 wolves, with limited extinction events. Deer-only harvest often drove deer to very low end-of-run counts (mean 1–16) with extinctions in 2–7/10 replicates across cut-offs, whereas boar-only harvest showed higher persistence (mean 11–74) and boar extinctions occurred only at the lowest cut-off (3/10). Increasing hunter numbers or season length depressed prey and could indirectly reduce wolves via prey depletion. Legal predator control reduced predators as designed, while poaching had little effect under the implemented rules. Because interaction and prey-choice rules are simplified for transparency, outcomes should be interpreted as conditional on model assumptions. WM-Classroom v1.0 provides a didactic sandbox for courses, professional training, and outreach, with extensions (habitat heterogeneity, age/sex structure, probabilistic diet/kill success, and calibration/validation) outlined for future versions. Full article

This article analyses the iconographic cycle of the Sacristy of the Virgin in the Basílica del Pilar, with the aim of unveiling the complex system of visual symbols present in its bas-reliefs. Through a typological and exegetical approach, the study examines the various Marian representations, highlighting their connection with Old Testament, Patristic, Scholastic, and Baroque traditions. The research demonstrates how these visual emblems embody the principles of Divine Motherhood, purity, Co-Redemptrix, and the Virgin’s spiritual superiority. Furthermore, it explores the relationship between the carvings and hermeneutic and emblematic literature, revealing how tradition and devotion intertwine to configure a genuine Baroque iconographic breviary. The findings allow for an interpretation of Mary not only as an object of worship but also as a theological paradigm and aesthetic model of divine perfection, thus offering a comprehensive vision of Baroque Mariology and of the didactic and devotional function of the Sacristy of the Virgin. Full article

Since the 19th century, Protestant missionaries in Guangdong have extensively engaged in the translation and publication of religious texts, employing localized strategies in the illustration of Christian novels. Within the local cultural context of late Qing Guangdong, missionaries collaborated with local scholars, used Cantonese for writing, and designed novel illustrations to overcome barriers in doctrinal dissemination, thereby facilitating the spread of Christianity. The illustrations in missionary-published novels, such as The Pilgrim’s Progress in Vernacular and The Spiritual Warfare in Vernacular, adopted the stylistic features of Ming and Qing novel woodcuts in terms of lines, composition, character attire, and settings. Furthermore, they skillfully incorporated the Confucian moral framework of loyalty, filial piety, chastity, and righteousness, as represented in the Sacred Edict, into their narrative ethics, while integrating elements such as Buddhist causality and Daoist imagery into a “didactic” system. This localization strategy, combined with a “trinity” reading guidance model comprising images, text, and biblical annotations, visually elucidated the tenets of the Bible and encouraged the public to embrace Christianity. The localized practice of missionary novel illustrations served as a conscious and effective visual strategy aimed at bridging cultural divides and promoting the dissemination of the Gospel. It profoundly reflects the visual agency in modern Sino–Western cultural exchanges and significantly advanced the propagation of Christianity. Full article

This study explores the integration of Georgi Lozanov’s Suggestopedia with Alain Berthoz’s theory of simplexity as a pedagogical paradigm for inclusive and creative educational design. The research, conducted within the specialization courses for educational support at the University of Salerno, involved 230 trainee teachers engaged in a participatory action-research process aimed at translating suggestopedic principles, positive suggestion, music, and relational harmony into didactic planning. Through a combination of theoretical training, laboratory design activities, and reflective evaluation, participants produced 21 interdisciplinary educational projects assessed according to the properties and rules of simplexity. The results show a high degree of methodological coherence, aesthetic quality, and curricular inclusiveness, with music emerging as a key factor in fostering attention, cooperation, and emotional engagement. Data analysis indicates that the fusion of suggestopedic and simplex approaches promotes adaptive, modular, and meaning-oriented design processes that enhance teachers’ creativity and metacognitive awareness. Overall, the findings highlight the educational value of a pedagogy of resonance, in which body, mind, and environment interact harmoniously. The study concludes that the suggestopedic—simplex model represents a regenerative framework for contemporary didactics, capable of transforming complexity into harmony and restoring to education its aesthetic, relational, and human dimension. Full article

Background/Objectives: Poiseuille’s law describes the influence of radius, length, viscosity, and pressure on the flow of Newtonian fluids. Although bone cement is a non-Newtonian, shear-thinning, and polymerizing material that does not comply with this law in any predictive or quantitative sense, its qualitative principles may offer a didactic framework for understanding factors that affect injectability during cementoplasty. The objective of this Technical Note is to provide an educational and conceptual interpretation of Poiseuille’s law as it relates to trocar selection, cement behavior, and procedural planning. Methods: This work presents theoretical calculations based on the r⁴/L component of Poiseuille’s equation, using manufacturer-specified internal radii for commonly used trocars. Relative flow rates were computed as r⁴/L ratios normalized to a 13-gauge, 15 cm trocar. Conceptual viscosity profiles illustrate qualitative differences among cements over time. A representative, fully anonymized clinical example is provided to illustrate the integration of these conceptual principles into practice. No experimental measurements were performed. Results: Theoretical calculations show that trocar radius has the strongest influence on theoretical flow, with an exponential effect (r⁴), whereas increasing trocar length proportionally reduces flow. Conceptual viscosity curves demonstrate the rapid rise in viscosity during polymerization and highlight the importance of timing and cement selection. The clinical example illustrates how trocar choice, access planning, and cement viscosity are adapted to lesion morphology and cortical integrity. Conclusions: Poiseuille’s law cannot model or predict bone cement behavior and has no procedural or clinical validity in cementoplasty. Its use in this Technical Note is strictly educational, providing a qualitative framework to illustrate general relationships between equipment characteristics, viscosity evolution, and resistance during injection, without offering clinical guidance or implying any impact on procedural planning, safety, or outcomes. Full article

Metformin, a 60-year-old biguanide and cornerstone of type 2 diabetes therapy, continues to challenge and inspire modern pharmaceutical science. Despite its chemical simplicity, metformin displays highly complex pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic behavior driven by transporter dependence, luminal activity, and formulation-sensitive exposure. Originally regarded as limited by low permeability and incomplete absorption, metformin has emerged as a paradigm for gut-targeted therapy, controlled- and delayed-release systems, and personalized pharmaceutics. Growing evidence has repositioned the intestine, rather than systemic plasma exposure, as a major site of action, highlighting the central role of organic cation transporters and multidrug efflux systems in determining efficacy, variability, and gastrointestinal tolerability. Beyond metabolic control, insights into transporter regulation, pharmacogenetics, microbiome interactions, and manufacturing quality have expanded metformin’s relevance as a model compound for contemporary drug development. Advances in formulation design, quality-by-design manufacturing, and regulatory control have further reinforced its clinical robustness, while repurposing efforts in oncology, immunometabolism, and regenerative medicine underscore its translational potential. This review integrates mechanistic pharmacology, formulation science, and clinical translation to position metformin not merely as an antidiabetic agent, but as a didactic model illustrating the evolution of pharmaceutics from molecule-centered design to system-oriented, precision-driven therapy. Full article

Recently, young people’s historical and cultural awareness has been increasingly described as fragmented and disengaged, particularly in the context of rapid social change and “liquid modernity”. Drawing on Clio, the Muse of History, as a metaphor for historical knowledge and memory, this study addresses this challenge by examining how heritage education and history didactics can be reimagined through digital transformation within tourism and educational training programmes. Based on an action research project conducted during the academic year 2022–2023 at the Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo (Portugal), we combine a mixed-methods approach with surveys (n = 65) and co-creation workshops (n = 6) inspired by the Finnish Demola model. The research was presented at the INVTUR conference (2024), reinforcing its international relevance and applicability to global debates on heritage, tourism and education. The results indicate that higher education students (mainly from Tourism and Education degrees) show a low level of historical consciousness and limited cultural consumption habits, despite broad access to digital tools and cultural opportunities. However, the co-creation process revealed innovative ways of reconnecting young people with cultural identity and history, particularly through digital storytelling, gamification and virtual heritage experiences. Results show that 68% of participants report low engagement in cultural activities and that less than one-third visit museums or heritage sites regularly. These findings suggest that digital heritage pedagogies can strengthen historical awareness and contribute to more sustainable and culturally rooted forms of education and tourism. The paper concludes by proposing a framework for integrating digital transformation, heritage education, and history didactics in tourism curricula, highlighting implications for policy, pedagogy and cultural sustainability. It also underscores the urgency of rethinking digital heritage pedagogies to strengthen historical awareness and foster a renewed sense of cultural citizenship. Full article

Dark tourism communication in Eastern Europe remains insufficiently examined, despite the region’s complex post-authoritarian memory landscape and the growing use of storytelling in tourism marketing. This study aims to clarify how Romanian dark tourism campaigns construct meaning through narrative structures and affective framing. Using a qualitative multi-method design, the analysis integrates ten promotional campaigns and six semi-structured interviews with professionals from tourism, memorial institutions, and cultural organizations. Results reveal four recurrent narrative–affective clusters, sacral-memorial, historical-didactic, spectral-sensational, and hybrid commercial, each shaped by trauma referentiality, emotional framing, and specific calls-to-action. These configurations map consistently onto Stone’s thanatological spectrum and highlight how practitioners negotiate authenticity and ethical boundaries. The study contributes a transferable narrative–affective model for dark tourism communication and underscores the need for transparency, contextual sensitivity, and responsible storytelling in the marketing of trauma-related heritage. Full article

Promoting empowerment regarding the SDGs among students requires teaching practices based on a student-centered approach. Storytelling has gained prominence as a tool to increase student engagement, critical thinking, and more equitable school environments. While its benefits for students are well documented, less is known about the factors influencing teachers’ willingness to adopt storytelling. The Erasmus+ project PLACES aims to support the implementation of the SDGs in Belgium, Denmark, Greece, and Italy. This study, conducted during the need analysis phase, investigates the psychological and contextual dimensions associated with teachers’ use of storytelling as a practice to promote the SDGs. Self-efficacy, attitudes, time-related, didactic barriers, and the perceived organizational climate for innovation within schools were investigated by 5-point Likert scales. A quantitative analysis was conducted using hierarchical regression and moderation models based on data collected through a questionnaire administered to 138 primary and low-secondary schools’ teachers from Italy, Belgium, and Greece. Results showed that teachers’ self-efficacy is significantly associated with storytelling use, and this relationship is moderated by perceived school climate for innovation. Moreover, the lack of didactic support is relevant. These findings underline the importance of strengthening individual and contextual enablers in teacher training and school leadership to promote the SDGs. Full article

Solving algebraic word problems is an essential component of the school mathematics curriculum; nonetheless, many students still make mistakes in solving them. Several studies have largely focused on categorizing errors in solving algebraic word problems. However, relatively little attention has been given to the underlying learning obstacles that shape these errors. Addressing this gap, this study explores students’ learning obstacles in solving algebraic word problems through a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. Data were collected from 138 Indonesian students and two Indonesian mathematics teachers using written tests, document studies, and interviews. Data analysis was conducted alongside thematic analysis and the interpretative phenomenological analysis framework. The findings revealed five main errors: misunderstanding the problem’s meaning, incorrectly forming mathematical equations from the narrative, failing to solve the constructed mathematical model, providing incomplete or contextually inappropriate final answers, and failing to apply the trial-and-error method. These errors were traced to three categories of learning obstacles. Ontogenic obstacles included weaknesses in prerequisite skills such as reading comprehension, arithmetic, and algebraic manipulation, as well as a limited ability to transition from arithmetic to algebraic thinking. Epistemological obstacles arose when students’ understanding was tied to narrow contexts and could not be applied flexibly to new problem situations. Didactical obstacles reflected instructional gaps, particularly the emphasis on procedural routines over interpretation, reflection, and representational flexibility. This study extends the application of learning obstacle theory to the context of algebraic word problems and offers practical implications for teachers in designing adaptive instructional strategies to minimize students’ learning obstacles. Full article

Within the context of pedagogical renewal in Physical Education, Game-Based Learning (GBL) has emerged as a pedagogical model that can foster students’ motivation and engagement. This study explored university learners’ perceptions of a playful activity in a natural environment, entitled Autolycus’ Game, and its perceived contributions to their holistic development. A total of 114 undergraduate students enrolled in Early Childhood and Primary Education degrees participated in a two-hour session designed as a Breakout EDU in a university park. After the experience, their perceptions were collected through an online semi-structured questionnaire and analysed using qualitative coding techniques in Atlas.ti. Findings indicated that participants perceived Autolycus’ Game as motivating, creativity-enhancing, and supportive of social interaction and cooperative work. Most participants highlighted that this methodology helped them strengthen social and communication skills, while also valuing the use of the natural environment as a didactic resource. At the same time, participants identified areas for improvement—such as repetitive tasks, uneven difficulty across challenges, and limited supervision—that may reduce engagement if not carefully planned. Overall, participants described Autolycus’ Game as a valuable pedagogical strategy that may enrich learning experiences in Physical Education and support socio-emotional and motor competences, although the findings should be interpreted in light of the study’s limitations (single-institution sample, self-reported data, intact class groups taught by the researchers). Future work could examine outdoor Breakout EDU with mixed-methods and longitudinal designs to assess motivational processes and learning outcomes over time. Full article

Experience shows that knowledge transfer and understanding of fundamental FPGA principles are greatly improved by exercising laboratory practices and manual hands-on operations. Hence, a case study was performed on two didactic platforms for students of intelligent control techniques that were upgraded with FPGAs to be involved in laboratory practices. Among others, platforms allow implementation of traditional linear control algorithms, such as PID, or modern non-linear control algorithms, such as fuzzy logic or artificial neural networks. Initially, the underlying physics can be carefully studied, and the mathematical model can be derived. Then, such a model can be discretized into its digital form, an appropriate controller can be designed, and its performance can be compared to the known benchmark. Controllers and control parameters can be practiced by students themselves, offering underlying potential for improving students’ understanding of the fundamentals of FPGA. Full article

Higher education (HE) has become a central site where the relations between democracy, pedagogy and technology are being reshaped through algorithmic infrastructures. In this context, a specific tension becomes visible: as educational processes become intertwined with systems of classification, prediction and optimization, recognition risks becoming conditional on data legibility, while pedagogical judgement is redirected toward procedural efficiency. Against this background, this article investigates how subjectivity, recognition and pedagogical responsibility can be conceptually framed when formative encounters are mediated through pedagogical practice as well as through algorithmic operations. To address this question, it develops the DEA model (Democratic Education under Algorithmic Conditions) as a reflexive, education–theoretical heuristic grounded in educational theory, subjectivation research, democratic thought and critical data studies. The model positions education, democracy and digitalisation as interdependent fields and specifies three analytical dimensions: formative, normative and inferential. These are elaborated through relational vectors and framing structures that include societal discourses, institutional configurations, cultural imaginaries and biographical conditions. The reconstruction shows how pedagogical responsibility becomes vulnerable to displacement by optimization routines, how recognition is reorganised by regimes of data legibility and how didactic relations are reconfigured through automated feedback and recommendation systems. Rather than prescribing technical solutions, the DEA model offers a conceptual orientation for tracing how algorithmic mediation redistributes recognition, responsibility and legitimacy in HE, and for sustaining Bildung and democratic subject formation under digital conditions. Full article