Search Results (190)

This paper presents a model for reimagining science learning during the early childhood years through storybook reading. Much of the research on storybooks in early childhood has emphasized how storybooks promote knowledge acquisition in literacy, social–emotional learning, and science. This model proposes that shared science storybook reading, through interactions with adults and society, integrates these domains and encourages the development of skills critical to success in science fields such as persistence in the face of failure and growth mindset. The model is situated within two theoretical frameworks: a social interactionist framework that adult–child interactions during a shared storybook reading can advance children’s learning and an ecological systems framework, which highlights how early development occurs in informal and formal learning environments in preschool through second grade, and within the context of larger societal values surrounding science. Full article

While existing research highlights a positive association between computational thinking (CT) and self-regulation (SR) skills, limited attention has been given to the embodied and social processes within CT activities that support young children’s executive functions (EFs)—key components of SR. This study investigates how preschoolers develop basic and higher-order EFs, such as focused attention, inhibitory control, causal reasoning, and problem-solving, through their engagement with a tangible programming toy in teacher-guided small groups in a university-affiliated preschool. Informed by a we-syntonicity framework that integrates Papert’s concepts of body/ego syntonicity and Schutz’s “we-relationship”, we conducted a multimodal microanalysis of video-recorded group sessions. Our analysis focuses on two sessions, the “Obstacle Challenge” and “Conditionals”, featuring four excerpts. Findings reveal that children leverage bodily knowledge and empathy toward the toy—named Rapunzel—to sustain attention, manage impulses, reason about cause-effect, and collaborate on problem-solving. Three agents shape these processes: the toy, fostering collective engagement; the teacher, scaffolding learning and emotional regulation; and the children, coordinating actions and sharing affective responses. These findings challenge traditional views of SR as an individual cognitive activity, framing it instead as an embodied, social, and situated practice. This study underscores the importance of collaborative CT activities in fostering SR during early childhood. Full article

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is seldom explicitly considered in science-based higher education (HE), yet we argue that group-based lab learning both requires and facilitates the development of valuable interpersonal and emotional skills. This study focuses on Year 1 and Year 2 Biomedical Science undergraduates working in groups to undertake an innovative, discovery-based laboratory module. It explores students’ perceptions of how emotions impact science discovery learning and whether and how they used and developed social and emotional skills in this learning context. We draw together theories that explain the development of emotional intelligence and how people influence each other’s emotions, and apply them to an HE context. Data were collected using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, and analysis identified three key themes: situated and social emotion in the lab, awareness of interpersonal emotional influence, and SEL as experiential and relational. These give insight into the subtle yet powerful ways that students work with emotion in the process of collaborative discovery learning. We identify successful strategies and challenges, and make recommendations for embedding SEL in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) HE settings. These include approaches to integrate context-relevant emotional skill development, both explicitly and implicitly, and nurture peer emotional scaffolding. Full article

English learning buoyancy is a proactive and adaptable capacity that allows academic growth. However, the relationship between buoyancy, burnout, engagement, and achievement in English learning remains complex and underexplored. Grounded in the control–value theory of achievement emotions and the situated expectancy–value theory, this study investigated the impact of buoyancy and academic achievement in language learning, especially the multiple mediating roles of burnout and engagement in between. The study involved 522 senior high school students in China, who learn English as a second language. Questionnaires were employed to assess their English learning buoyancy, burnout (i.e., demotivation and exhaustion), and engagement (i.e., behavioral and agentic engagement). Academic achievement was represented by their most recent English scores. The results demonstrate that English learning buoyancy predicts academic achievement through multiple indirect paths. Specifically, exhaustion and behavioral engagement each independently mediate this relationship, and a sequential mediating pathway was identified from burnout components to behavioral engagement. The study provides pedagogical implications for English teaching. Full article

The ability of police officers to make correct decisions under emotional stress is critical, as errors in high-pressure situations can have severe legal and physical consequences. This study aims to evaluate the neurophysiological responses of police academy cadets during stressful decision-making scenarios and to predict individual stress levels from those responses. Fifty-eight police academy cadets from three cohorts watched a custom-made, naturalistic video scene and then chose the appropriate course of action. Simultaneous 32-channel electroencephalography (EEG) and electrocardiography (ECG) captured brain and heart activity. Event-related potentials (ERPs) and band-specific power features (particularly delta) were extracted, and machine-learning models were trained with nested cross-validation to predict perceived stress scores. Global and broadband EEG activity was suppressed during the video stimulus and did not return to baseline during the cooldown phase. Widespread ERPs and pronounced delta-band dynamics emerged during decision-making, correlating with both cohort rank and self-reported stress. Crucially, a combined EEG + cohort model predicted perceived stress with an out-of-fold R² of 0.32, outperforming EEG-only (R² = 0.23) and cohort-only (R² = 0.17) models. To our knowledge, this is the first study to both characterize EEG dynamics during stressful naturalistic decision tasks and demonstrate their predictive utility. These findings lay the groundwork for neurofeedback-based training paradigms that help officers modulate stress responses and calibrate decision-making under pressure. Full article

The rise of streaming services and online story-sharing has led to a vast amount of cinema and television content being viewed and reviewed daily by a worldwide audience. It is a unique challenge to grasp the nuanced insights of these reviews, particularly as context, emotion, and specific components like acting, direction, and storyline intertwine extensively. The aim of this study is to address said complexity with a new hybrid Multi Criteria Decision-Making MCDM model that combines the Deck of Cards Method (DoCM) with the Circular Pythagorean Fuzzy Set (CPFS) framework, retaining the symmetry of information. The study is conducted on a simulated dataset to demonstrate the framework and outline the plan for approaching real-world press reviews. We postulate a more informed mechanism of assessing and choosing the most appropriate deep learning assembler, such as the transformer version, the hybrid Convolutional Neural Network CNN-RNN, and the attention-based framework of aspect-based sentiment mapping in film and television reviews. The model leverages both the cognitive ease of the DoCM and the expressive ability of the Pythagorean fuzzy set (PFS) in a circular relationship setting possessing symmetry, and can be applied to various decision-making situations other than the interpretation of media sentiments. This enables decision-makers to intuitively and flexibly compare alternatives based on many sentiment-relevant aspects, including classification accuracy, interpretability, computational efficiency, and generalization. The experiments are based on a hypothetical representation of media review datasets and test whether the model can combine human insight with algorithmic precision. Ultimately, this study presents a sound, structurally clear, and expandable framework of decision support to academicians and industry professionals involved in converging deep learning and opinion mining in entertainment analytics. Full article

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

The preparedness of healthcare workers for disaster situations depends on their technical skills, disaster knowledge, and psychosocial strength, including teamwork and emotional regulation. This study aims to assess disaster preparedness among healthcare professionals in primary healthcare centers (PHCs) in Alqurayat, Saudi Arabia, with a specific focus on evaluating technical competencies, psychosocial readiness, and predictive modeling of preparedness levels. A mixed-methods approach was employed, incorporating structured questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and observational data from disaster drills to evaluate the preparedness levels of 400 healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses, and administrative staff. The results showed that while knowledge (mean: 3.9) and skills (mean: 4.0) were generally moderate to high, notable gaps in overall preparedness remained. Importantly, 69.5% of participants reported enhanced readiness following simulation drills. Machine learning models, including Random Forest and Artificial Neural Networks, were used to predict preparedness outcomes based on psychosocial variables such as emotional intelligence, teamwork, and stress management. Sentiment analysis and topic modeling of qualitative responses revealed key themes including communication barriers, psychological safety, and the need for ongoing training. The findings highlight the importance of integrating both technical competencies and psychosocial resilience into disaster management programs. This study contributes an innovative framework for evaluating preparedness and offers practical insights for policymakers, disaster planners, and health training institutions aiming to strengthen the sustainability and responsiveness of primary healthcare systems. Full article

With the rise in short-term intercultural mobility programs, enhancing students’ adaptive capacity through structured experiential learning has become a key concern. Using constructivist grounded theory, this study draws on extending the situated learning and embodied cognition theories as analytical frameworks to explore international students’ cross-cultural adaptation within the context of study tours. It develops a three-phase framework (pre-departure, on-site immersion, and post-tour reflection) to trace their transition from cultural distance to adaptation. The findings reveal that the process through which international students shift from cross-cultural distance to multidimensional adaptation can be further accelerated by environmental settings, situational behaviors, and short-term emotional responses within study tour contexts. Moreover, culture-led and nature-led environments evoke distinct patterns of participation and emotional responses, facilitating varying degrees and dimensions of adaptation across psychological, social, and cultural domains. The study extends situated and embodied learning perspectives by conceptualizing study tours as dynamic, context-sensitive learning sites. By considering adaptation processes context-dependent, this study deepens the understanding of how learning, emotion, and environment interact to shape intercultural development and offers practical insights for designing responsive, stage-sensitive study tour programs. Full article

Drawing on data from a three-year longitudinal study of 56 Chinese–Canadian families with early elementary school-aged children, this study explores Chinese immigrant parents’ lived-through emotional experiences of heritage language maintenance (HLM). Informed by Vygotsky’s concept of perezhivanie, thematic analysis of annual interview data reveals the mixed and refracted nature of parental emotions involved in Chinese language preservation and bilingual child-rearing. These emotional experiences were profoundly shaped by the intersection of environmental, personal, and situational factors and were deeply entangled with parents’ perceptions of and attitudes toward their children’s heritage language learning and use at home. The emotional work involved significantly influenced the parents’ language and literacy planning and HLM practices. By foregrounding the emotional dimensions of heritage language education, this study offers important implications for educational stakeholders seeking to support immigrant parents both emotionally and practically in raising bilingual children in the host country. Full article

Challenge, adventure, and risky play have repeatedly been found to be learning environments that positively shape childhood well-being and development. Extant evidence-based research conveys the physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional growth associated with risky play provision. However, understanding the interplay of risky play, injury, and safety is more nuanced and complex. The goal of this paper is to introduce a tool which allows educators, parents, health practitioners, urban planners, playground designers, certifiers, manufacturers, and inspectors to estimate both the benefit and risk of outdoor play and learning settings, such as playgrounds, adventure parks, or risk-taking activities. One of the key challenges associated with societal risk appetite or risk tolerance has been the inability to quantify the inherent benefits of risk taking in playgrounds and educational settings. Historically, the assessment of ‘benefit–risk’ has been dominated by a zero tolerance of incidents, whether in the workplace or road safety settings. Against this backdrop, if playgrounds and outdoor learning settings are boring, children will go elsewhere to seek thrills and adventure, which may often be manifested in antisocial behaviour. In 2023, ‘benefit–risk’ was formally recognised in the area of sport and recreation by the International Organisation for Standardisation, when it published the ISO 4980:2023 benefit–risk assessment for sport and recreational facilities, activities, and equipment. ISO 4980:2023 is a departure from the traditional view of risk management, in that it presents a perspective of risk which is not limited to framing risk as negative, but rather balances the calculation of positive benefits as well as the risks associated with the activity. Correspondingly, hazardous situations which have zero benefit should be eliminated or mitigated. The tool introduced in this paper offers playground inspectors and educators the ability to measure and assess both the benefit and risk of outdoor playgrounds and educational settings where children play, learn, and flourish. Full article

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition affecting social interaction, communication, and emotional regulation, often requiring specialized educational approaches. Traditional teaching methods may not meet the needs of children with ASD, while visual and interactive formats tend to be more effective. This study examines the use of a virtual reality (VR) visual novel incorporating social stories to support social–emotional learning in children with Level 1 ASD. The intervention used an interactive, choice-based VR environment simulating everyday social situations. Four primary school students participated in a one-week case study, during which they engaged with the VR prototype. Teachers observed the students and provided feedback through questionnaires and interviews. Results showed high engagement with observable social communication behaviors and emotional responses in one participant but no consistent short-term changes across the group. All teachers expressed positive views, noting the tool’s visual clarity, ease of use, and alignment with ASD learners’ needs. Usability challenges were minimal but included pacing delays and difficulties managing impulsive behavior. Although limited by sample size and short duration, the findings indicate that VR visual novels are a promising and acceptable approach for practicing social–emotional skills in inclusive classrooms. Further research is needed to evaluate long-term effects and enhance adaptability. Full article

Video emotion recognition (VER), situated at the convergence of affective computing and computer vision, aims to predict the primary emotion evoked in most viewers through video content, with extensive applications in video recommendation, human–computer interaction, and intelligent education. This paper commences with an analysis of the psychological models that constitute the foundation of VER theory. The paper further elaborates on datasets and evaluation metrics commonly utilized in VER. Then, the paper reviews VER algorithms according to their categories, and compares and analyzes the experimental results of classic methods on four datasets. Based on a comprehensive analysis and investigations, the paper identifies the prevailing challenges currently faced in the VER field, including gaps between emotional representations and labels, large-scale and high-quality VER datasets, and the efficient integration of multiple modalities. Furthermore, this study proposes potential research directions to address these challenges, e.g., advanced neural network architectures, efficient multimodal fusion strategies, high-quality emotional representation, and robust active learning strategies. Full article

Background: Ensuring the safety of patients in the operating room, through the monitoring and prevention of adverse events is a central priority of healthcare delivery. In the professionalization of operating room nurses, the processes of identifying, assessing, developing, monitoring, and certifying transversal competencies are crucial. While national and international frameworks have attempted to define such competencies, they often vary in scope and remain inconsistently integrated into education and clinical practice. There is, therefore, a need for a comprehensive and structured identification of transversal competencies relevant to both perioperative and perianesthesiological nursing roles. Objectives: To formulate a validated and structured repertoire of transversal competencies demonstrated by operating room nurses in both perioperative and perianesthesiological contexts. Methods: A qualitative descriptive design was adopted, combining shadowed observation with Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA). A convenience sample of 46 participants was recruited from a university and a public hospital in Italy. Data were collected between September 2021 and June 2023 and analyzed using content analysis and data triangulation. Results: Through a qualitative, inductive and iterative approach the study identified 15 transversal competencies, 50 sub-competencies, and 153 specific tasks and activities. Specifically, operating room nurses working in perioperative and perianesthesiological roles presented the following transversal competencies: communication and interpersonal relationships, situation awareness, teamwork, problem solving and decision-making, self-awareness, coping with stressors, resilience and fatigue management, leadership, coping with emotions, task and time management, ethical and sustainable thinking, adaptation to the context, critical thinking, learning through experiences, and data, information and digital content management. Each competency was associated with specific tasks observed. Conclusions: This framework complements the existing repertoire of technical-specialist competencies by integrating essential transversal competencies. It serves as a valuable tool for the assessment, validation, and certification of competencies related to patient and professional safety, emotional well-being, relational dynamics, and social competencies. The findings underscore the need for academic institutions to revise traditional training models and embed transversal competencies in both undergraduate and postgraduate nursing education. Full article

Background: Paramedics and firefighters frequently encounter critical incidents that require both deep learning and emotional processing. This study investigates how reflective writing facilitates these processes, addressing the need to understand professional development in high-stress environments. Methods: The research analyzed reflective writings from 57 second-year Management of Catastrophe Defense undergraduates who were active emergency service workers. Using Mayring’s qualitative content analysis, the study examined participants’ descriptions of critical workplace incidents, emotional responses, and long-term impacts. The theoretical framework combines Paul’s concept of transformative experiences, Schön’s reflective practice, and Jarvis’s experiential learning theory. Results: The analysis revealed three key dimensions: transformative experiences, the role of conversation with the situation in meaning making and the significance of whole-person learning in understanding emotional presence and absence, and the role of reflective writing in understanding learning processes. The study uncovered complex patterns in how professionals process critical incidents and manage emotions in high-stress environments. Conclusions: Reflective writing serves as an effective tool for processing experiences and developing professional resilience, although the process of engaging with traumatic memories through reflection presents its own complexities. These insights contribute to the understanding of learning processes and professional development in high-stress environments. Full article