Search Results (2,559)

Reflective practice is an essential component of initial teacher education (ITE) programs in Australia that supports the development of preservice teachers’ responsive decision-making, planning, and ongoing professional growth. Yet, many preservice teachers continue to produce reflections that are descriptive, superficial, or disconnected from evidence of their practice. In response to this challenge, this study examines how mentor teachers support preservice teachers’ professional learning through reflection on video captures of their own teaching. Applying a qualitative study design, data collected using online surveys with mentor teachers indicate that retrospective video analysis enables mentors to identify pedagogically significant moments for reflection that support evidence-based dialogue. Video functions as a teaching microscope, requiring mentors to adjust the focus, direct preservice teachers’ attention, and scaffold their interpretation of what is observed. However, practical and systemic barriers significantly impact sustained implementation. This study highlights the potential of teacher mentors’ use of retrospective video analysis in ITE to enhance preservice teachers’ reflective practice, offering insights into how this approach can be effectively incorporated and scaled. Full article

This study addresses the question of how augmented reality (AR) technologies can be designed and integrated into maritime navigation systems to meet the needs of young navigators within contemporary socio-technical bridge environments. The article is based on a qualitative, literature-based research methodology involving a structured analysis and synthesis of peer-reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings related to AR interfaces, human performance, decision support, and maritime training. The reviewed studies indicate that AR can enhance perceptual and situational awareness by overlaying navigational information directly into the navigator’s field of view, thereby reducing head-down time, improving spatial alignment of information, and supporting performance in low-visibility and high-traffic conditions. The literature also shows that AR-enabled visualizations and shared displays can support individual and team-based decision-making by facilitating real-time, context-aware information exchange on the ship’s bridge. Safety-related benefits are identified as indirect outcomes of improved perception and cognitive support rather than as isolated technological effects. Simultaneously, the findings highlight that these benefits depend strongly on human-centered interface design and appropriate training. The study concludes that AR has significant potential to enhance maritime navigation for young navigators when integrated as part of a balanced socio-technical system combining technology, human factors, and structured education. Full article

Emerging technologies (ETs), such as AI and reality techniques, are reshaping educational measurement. However, existing studies remain dispersed and are rarely synthesized in ways that clarify how ETs participate in the evidentiary work of educational measurement. Guided by PRISMA 2020, we systematically reviewed 933 empirical studies published between 2016 and 2025 in formal educational settings. We coded studies by (a) grain size (micro, meso, macro), (b) Constructing Measures Theory building blocks (construct map, item design, outcome space, measurement model), and (c) ET category. Results showed a strong concentration at the micro level (88.88%) and in outcome space and measurement model work (86.80% combined), indicating that ET-enabled innovation has focused primarily on transforming performances into indicators and modeling those indicators for interpretation and decision-making. Learning analytics and educational data mining, machine learning and deep learning, and automated scoring and feedback systems were the dominant ET clusters. These findings point to an uneven development of ET-enabled educational measurement. Included studies also indicating recurring concerns about transparency, fairness, and governance are linked to the field’s main areas of ET-enabled concentration. We therefore argue for closer alignment among construct claims, evidence, modeling, and intended use, and offer implications for developers, researchers, and education practitioners. Full article

Despite the growing use of tessellated and patterned façades in contemporary architecture, their thermal performance, particularly in cooling-dominated educational buildings, remains insufficiently quantified, with existing studies largely prioritizing daylighting or aesthetic outcomes over energy-driven thermal behavior. This study aims to systematically evaluate how different tessellated façade geometries and perforation ratios influence thermal performance and cooling demand in a Mediterranean climate, and to identify an optimal façade configuration that balances multiple thermal objectives. Three tessellation typologies—nature-inspired (Voronoi), Islamic geometric, and folded origami-based patterns—were parametrically generated and applied as external shading screens to an educational building. Annual thermal simulations were conducted using Climate Studio to assess four performance metrics: solar heat gain, energy use intensity, hours of overheating derived from operative temperature, and peak cooling demand. A post-simulation, data-driven, multi-objective, decision-support approach was applied using Compromise Programming to systematically evaluate and rank discrete façade alternatives based on multiple thermal performance criteria. Results indicate that all tessellated façades reduce solar heat gain and peak cooling demand relative to the unshaded baseline, with performance strongly dependent on both geometry and perforation ratio. Lower perforation ratios (20%) consistently outperform more open configurations, while Voronoi-based façades achieve the most balanced overall thermal performance across all evaluated criteria and emerging as the top-ranked solution. The study’s novelty lies in its comparative, cooling-focused evaluation of fundamentally different tessellation logics using transparent, decision-oriented optimization rather than subjective comfort indices or computationally intensive evolutionary algorithms. Beyond its specific findings, the research provides a transferable methodological framework for integrating geometry-informed façade design into early-stage decision-making, supporting climate-responsive and energy-efficient educational architecture in Mediterranean and similar climates. Full article

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems and tools are increasingly reshaping educational practices. This study examines perspectives shared in student-focused online communities on AI’s impact on education, comparing those of computer science (CS) and business students through an analysis of Reddit posts. Using natural language processing (NLP), sentiment analysis, and Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling, we analyzed 1108 posts collected from six subreddits. Results reveal distinct thematic focuses: CS students emphasize technical aspects, including programming efficiency, coding assistance, and concerns about job displacement, while business students focus on decision-making enhancement, financial analysis applications, and operational efficiency. Sentiment analysis indicates that the Business/Finance-oriented corpus is slightly more positive than the CS-oriented corpus (51.9% vs. 50.1% positive). The CS-oriented corpus also contains a higher proportion of negative posts (36.0% vs. 33.2%). These differences reflect discipline-specific epistemological frameworks shaping AI perception. The findings provide educators with guidelines for developing tailored AI integration strategies that address discipline-specific concerns and opportunities. This study contributes to understanding how academic background influences perceptions of AI in education, offering insights for curriculum design and policy development. Full article

This research-to-practice study presents a design-oriented framework that integrates challenge-based learning (CBL), experiential learning (EL), and authentic assessment (AA) to support competency development in higher education. The framework aligns the stages of CBL (i.e., engagement, investigation, and solution) with Kolb’s experiential learning cycle and core AA principles, including realism, cognitive challenge, and evaluative judgement. Learning activities are structured around real-world challenges that reflect professional practice, enabling a coherent progression from experience to reflection, conceptualisation, and evaluation, and supporting the systematic development and assessment of student competencies. A single case study illustrates the application of the framework in industrial engineering education, implemented across six interdisciplinary modules at a private university in Mexico. Students engaged in process improvement projects within six small and medium-sized enterprises, fostering problem solving, decision making, and evaluative judgement in authentic contexts. The findings indicate that the framework supports the development of problem-solving and communication competencies, demonstrating its design coherence and practical feasibility. The framework provides structured guidance for educators to align learning objectives, activities, and assessments within CBL environments. However, limitations related to pedagogical integration and the single-case design constrain the generalisability of the findings. Future research should explore cross-disciplinary applications, longitudinal competency development, and adaptation to emerging educational contexts. Full article

Objectives: The transition from in-person to online formats for clinical case discussions has transformed the way medical professionals collaborate and share knowledge. The current pilot study investigates the potential impact of this shift by comparing the experiences of specialists and residents who had practiced both online and in-person pituitary tumor boards compared to the experiences of those who only experienced the online format. Methods: A cohort of 15 participants, including 10 specialists and 5 residents, provided insights through structured surveys and free-text responses. Results: The results indicate differences in the perception of the duration and participation dynamics in online pituitary tumor boards between both groups, with online boards facilitating the discussion of more cases. Overall participant engagement was mostly perceived as the same; a subset reported reduced perceived engagement, particularly among senior professionals. Conclusions: These findings highlight how prior experience can affect the perceived effectiveness, level of engagement and duration of online formats, providing valuable hypothesis-generating input for optimizing future medical board meetings. Full article

Disinformation, amplified by digital platforms and algorithmic distribution systems, represents a growing challenge for media trust, public health communication, and societal stability. This narrative literature review examines disinformation through an integrative psychosocial perspective, focusing on how patterns of exposure interact with individual vulnerability factors—including education, political beliefs, social identity, personality traits, and emotional responses to uncertainty—to influence the processing and acceptance of misleading information. The review synthesises interdisciplinary evidence on how algorithmic amplification and emotionally salient content increase susceptibility to disinformation and shape risk perception, health-related decision-making, and preventive behaviours. Findings indicate that repeated exposure to false or misleading information reinforces perceived credibility through familiarity effects, contributes to declining trust in institutional sources, and intensifies social and political polarisation. Disinformation is therefore conceptualised not only as an informational problem but also as a psychosocial process affecting emotional regulation, cognitive evaluation, and collective responses to crises, particularly in public health contexts. The analysis further highlights a recursive feedback loop in which reduced media trust increases vulnerability to subsequent disinformation, with broader implications for democratic participation and social cohesion. Mitigation strategies discussed include media literacy initiatives, critical thinking education, platform governance, regulatory approaches, and interventions targeting psychosocial drivers of susceptibility. Full article

Aging is a complex physiological process influenced by various factors, including individuals’ mental attitude. This interaction between biological vulnerability and psychological resources characterizes the entire life course; however, in older age, it becomes particularly salient due to the higher prevalence of multimorbidity, frailty, functional decline, and existential transitions (e.g., retirement, bereavement, loss of social roles), which intensify the impact of mental outlook on adaptation and quality of survival. Optimism has gained growing attention in clinical practice as a psychological asset associated with better health. This has also encouraged the incorporation of optimism-enhancing strategies into geriatric care. However, encouraging optimism in older patients, although well intentioned, can create ethical tensions in clinical communication, decision-making, and care planning. Sensitivity should be paid to aspects such as education, cultural background and religion within interactions with older adult patients. Uncritical promotion of optimism can undermine autonomy, foster unrealistic expectations, or place emotional burdens on patients who may already feel vulnerable. The appeal of optimism should therefore be balanced with careful ethical consideration. Full article

Contemporary education increasingly emphasises transferable competencies that enable learners to analyse situations, evaluate information, and make responsible decisions. This study examined the effects of a structured educational intervention based on inquiry, problem-solving, and role-play activities on the development of decision-making competence in primary school students. A quasi-experimental pre-test–post-test design with a control group was employed. The initial sample consisted of 64 second-grade students, with final analyses conducted on 39 complete cases. Decision-making competence was assessed using a researcher-developed multidimensional scale encompassing six dimensions: identification of alternatives, justification of decisions, anticipation of consequences, autonomy, collaboration, and responsibility. The results indicated a significant improvement in decision-making competence from pre-test (M = 13.23, SD = 1.68) to post-test (M = 20.05, SD = 4.49), t(38) = 8.45, p < 0.001, d = 1.35. Additionally, analysis of covariance revealed a significant effect of group on post-test scores, F(1, 36) = 9.82, p = 0.003, ηp² = 0.21, with the experimental group demonstrating greater improvement than the control group. A 2 × 2 repeated-measures ANOVA further indicated that gains were more pronounced in the cognitive domain than in the socio-emotional domain. These findings suggest that structured classroom activities involving inquiry, problem-solving, and role-play can support primary school students’ ability to analyse situations, generate alternatives, and justify decisions, particularly within the cognitive dimensions of decision-making competence. At the same time, the more moderate gains observed in collaboration and responsibility highlight the need for sustained, interaction-based learning contexts to support the development of socio-emotional dimensions. Full article

Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into design education is no longer optional; it has become an essential tool for enhancing innovative design and preparing students for data-driven practice and rapid technological acceleration. However, ignoring AI risks professional irrelevance; it introduces a range of concerns about students’ cognitive skills and comes with many drawbacks in the education process, as it threatens the attainment of learning outcomes, renders a fair assessment process unachievable, and places academic integrity in a vulnerable position. Using a qualitative case study approach, this research employs semi-structured interviews with 27 senior-year students in the interior design department to gain in-depth academic insights into how AI influenced their design process in their term project and its impact on their cognitive development and decision -making. Instructors’ observations on students’ skills, their pace in the project, and their end-products were documented. This study demonstrates that integrating AI into design education cannot be avoided, making a new paradigm for addressing design education inevitable. Based on the analysis, the paper proposes a conceptual framework outlining key dimensions in teaching and assessing strategies in design education adopting AI, focusing on analysis, critical thinking, reasoning, and process rather than on the end-product and its presentation. Full article

Background: Lumboperitoneal (LP) shunt surgery is an established treatment for idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH). In Japan, patients undergoing LP shunt surgery are often hospitalized for several days to more than one week after surgery, even in uncomplicated cases, reflecting concerns regarding early complications, cerebrospinal fluid overdrainage, and discharge readiness in older adults. This study evaluated the feasibility and short-term safety of a perioperative optimization pathway for planned short-stay hospitalization after LP shunt surgery. Methods: This single-center retrospective before-and-after cohort study included 15 consecutive patients who underwent elective LP shunt surgery. Six patients were managed using a conventional hospitalization pathway, whereas nine patients were treated under a short-stay pathway targeting discharge after one postoperative night. Key perioperative modifications included a uniform higher initial programmable valve pressure (level 7), structured discharge education, scheduled postoperative analgesia, waterproof wound sealing permitting early showering, and early outpatient follow-up with head computed tomography for staged valve pressure adjustment. The primary outcome was 30-day safety, defined as readmission, reoperation, or major postoperative complications. Results: Baseline characteristics were generally comparable between groups, although the short-stay group was slightly older and had more frequent antithrombotic therapy. Mean hospital length of stay was shorter in the short-stay group than in the conventional group (3.7 ± 2.0 vs. 9.7 ± 0.8 days; median, 3 vs. 9.5 days). Orthostatic headache requiring valve adjustment occurred in three conventional cases but in none of the short-stay patients. No patients in the short-stay group required readmission or reoperation within 30 days. Conclusions: In this pilot before-and-after study, a short-stay LP shunt pathway incorporating perioperative optimization and individualized discharge decision-making was feasible and was not associated with an apparent increase in early adverse events. These findings should be interpreted as exploratory and may support further evaluation of short-stay management strategies for selected patients undergoing LP shunt surgery in Japan. Full article

As social robots are increasingly deployed in domains such as healthcare, education, and entertainment, there is growing demand for affective agents that can interpret users’ affective states and respond in contextually appropriate ways. Existing work has established strong foundations for emotion generation and appraisal, but the step that connects generated emotion to behavioral execution still relies heavily on model-specific rules or implicit links. We frame this issue as a Mechanism Gap and propose an Emotional BDI framework that introduces Frijda’s action tendency as an intermediate representation layer between the Affective Core and the Belief–Desire–Intention (BDI) Executor. Rather than mapping emotion directly to concrete behavior, the framework first transforms affective state into a directional action tendency and then lets BDI reasoning realize that tendency according to role and context. This creates an explicit emotion-to-behavior mediation structure through which the same emotion can be expressed differently across situations and roles. In an exploratory user evaluation with 26 participants, the proposed model received more favorable ratings than an Emotion-Driven Agent in satisfaction ($p=0.010$) and appropriateness ($p=0.002$). Compared with a Cooperative Agent, the proposed model showed a significant advantage only in satisfaction ($p=0.030$). These findings suggest that the proposed framework offers a useful architectural direction for affective decision making beyond direct mapping or unconditional compliance. Full article

This study examines the influence of misinformation on vaccination decision-making and the perception of social security in Romania in the context of potential future pandemics. Using a survey-based design, data were collected through an online questionnaire administered to a sample of 1005 respondents. The analysis employed descriptive and inferential statistical methods, including chi-square tests, ANOVA, Kruskal–Wallis tests, principal component analysis (PCA), K-means clustering, random forest models, and Spearman correlations. The results indicate statistically significant associations between belief in misinformation and vaccination attitudes (p < 0.001), with moderate effect sizes. Effect size estimates indicated small-to-moderate associations (e.g., Cramér’s V up to 0.371 for key demographic differences, and Kendall’s W = 0.273 for the increase in willingness across the three severity scenarios). Individuals with higher levels of education, urban residence, and younger age were more likely to report higher willingness to vaccinate, whereas respondents from rural areas and those with lower educational levels showed greater susceptibility to misinformation. In addition, risk perception was significantly associated with vaccination intention, which increased as the severity of hypothetical pandemic scenarios intensified. Predictive modeling identified specific misinformation beliefs—particularly those related to vaccine safety and natural immunity—as key factors associated with vaccination decisions. These findings suggest that misinformation is strongly associated with both individual vaccination behavior and broader perceptions of social security. Full article

The growing prevalence of home education necessitates exploration of parental involvement outside traditional schooling environments. This paper conceptualises parental involvement within home education decision-making. Core elements of decision making, including Choices, Contexts, Challenges and Changes, are integrated with Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological systems theory to create the 4Cs model of parental decision-making in home education. The 4Cs model is developed from integrating findings from the literature with previous empirical work on how parents make and explain decisions in home education. The present paper uses this model to organise and explain parental decision-making in a structured way. Building on critiques of school-centric parental involvement models, the 4Cs model steps away from assumptions that position parents as passive participants in schools’ agendas to instead illustrate parents’ active collaboration and involvement in their children’s education. The paper goes on to use the 4Cs model to help reframe Epstein’s typology of parental involvement to bridge home education research and broader scholarship on parental involvement. It provides a structured lens to analyse the decision-making processes that underpin why families choose home education and how it is enacted in practice. Central to this framework is the concept of parental agency, which is decoupled from school-based imperatives and positioned as the driving force in constructing tailored learning environments. This theorisation offers a critical lens for examining how parents navigate educational trade-offs, socioecological constraints, and adaptive strategies. We reframe parental involvement as deliberative, context-responsive praxis, creating potential for the 4Cs framework to act as a transferable model for analysing agency-driven parental engagement across diverse educational settings. Full article